Harry Potter and the Power of Will
by Farseeker
Summary: When an abusive Vernon causes Harry to go catatonic, will he still be able to survive the inevitable encounter with Voldemort? Or is time up for Harry? Dead fic.
1. Of Bruises, Blood and Guns

Harry Potter winced as his Uncle Vernon's hand connected with the back of his head, dazing him slightly

Hi people. First Fic, Harry Potter. Not much more to say. I'm not going to ask you to review, because I only want reviews from people who actually like the story, not people who feel sorry for me and my lack of talent. Seeya.

Harry Potter winced as his Uncle Vernon's hand connected with the back of his head, dazing him slightly.

"Stop daydreaming boy, and watch the bacon!" Vernon snarled, a drunken slur evident in his voice. Inwardly, Harry grimaced. It had been like this ever since Harry had come home from school. Vernon's business had not been going well, and he was quick to take it out on Harry. The fact that he had been drinking did not help.

You see, Harry was no ordinary boy. Harry was a wizard. A very famous one at that, because when he had been just a baby he had defeated Lord Voldemort, an evil wizard who had killed many powerful witches and wizards, including Harry's parents. He lived with the Dursley's for ten years without knowing who or what he was, before he was rescued and taken to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had met Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his best friends, and together they had had many adventures. 

Harry quietly served the bacon, along with the toast and scrambled eggs he had cooked for the Dursley's. Vernon grunted, and began to eat. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, and moved to cook himself a piece of toast, when Vernon grabbed his arm and threw him to the floor.

"Don't even think about it, you piece of filth," "Vernon said, kicking him in the stomach. "Get upstairs, I don't want to see you again." Harry got up and was about to argue when he saw his Aunt and Cousin's faces out of the corner of his eye. Petunia had shrunk back slightly in her seat, and Harry could see a slight bruise on her face. He vaguely remembered hearing her and Vernon shouting at each other last night, and guessed that it had happened then. Dudley was staring at the two of them, his small, piggy eyes filled with fear. Harry continued to look at them for a moment, then turned and walked towards the stairs leading up to his room. Vernon's fist shot out and hit him in the lower back, sending tendrils of pain shooting up him as he sprawled on the floor. Harry lay there for a moment, getting his breath, then stood slowly and continued walking, back held straight and tall.

He waited until he had reached his room and closed the door before he allowed any pain to show. Harry screwed up his face in an effort not to cry out, then drew a deep, shuddering breath and opened his eyes. Slowly he knelt and placed one hand under his bed, searching. He grinned in relief when he found what he was looking for, and drew out an old, faded leather belt. Harry folded it in half, then in half again, before taking a deep breath in anticipation and placed it in his mouth, clamping his teeth down hard. Then, ever so slowly he began to push the bone in his arm back into place. It had snapped when his Uncle had grabbed him. No doubt Vernon knew, but Harry wasn't about to ask to be taken to the doctor. After wrapping the arm quickly in a piece of cloth torn from his sheets, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of bread he had managed to sneak from the kitchen. He didn't eat it, knowing it would only make him thirstier, but gave it to Hedwig, who still had a little water left in her bowl. Sighing, he stood up and walked over to the dusty, shattered mirror in the corner and examined his reflection. Dark purple marks were etched under his dull green eyes, a testimony to his lack of sleep, and a dark bruise throbbed painfully on his cheek. He had shot up over Summer, but had only gotten thinner, and was now dangerously underweight. Wincing, Harry pulled off his shirt, undid the wrappings on his chest, and re-bandaged the bruises and cuts on his chest and back, some of which were slowly oozing blood. After binding the wounds, Harry lay down on his bed and fell into a feverish sleep marred by nightmares.

Hours later, Harry opened bleary eyes and sat up. He heard raised voices arguing downstairs, and decided to see what was going on. He slowly crept down the stairs, ready to bolt back up them if Vernon spotted him. Petunia and Dudley were standing near the front door, Vernon behind them. He had Petunia's arm in his beefy fist, and was yelling at the top of his lungs.

"So you think you can just go, do you? Just up and leave?"

"Let go, Vernon…" Petunia yelled then screamed as he tightened his grip on her arm. Behind her Dudley was whimpering in fear.

"I'm not just going to let you go. If you won't stay, you won't live!" Vernon roared, reaching towards a gun, which he had in his back pocket. Harry froze in horror, then jumped forward, landing on Vernon's back and grabbing his arm.

"Run, now!" he yelled at Petunia and Dudley as he struggled with Vernon. They hesitated for a moment and then were gone, disappearing into the blackness of the night.


	2. Severus Snape to the Rescue?!

Hi

Hi!! Since you were all so nice and reviewed (21 in twenty hours, that is so trippy cool!), I typed this up really quickly for you. It hasn't been checked or read by anyone else, so it is rough. I had to get it up now though, because this is the last week of school for two weeks, and I can't update at home. *****pout* Hi to all the gang (You know who you are).

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Chapter Two

Professor Snape, Potions Master, Teacher at Hogwarts, Head of Slytherin, was currently walking down Privet Dive and asking the universal question-'Why am I here?'

"I knew I shouldn't have gone into the office as soon as I heard Granger and Weasley, but _no_, curiosity just had to get the better of me. I didn't even know I'd agreed to this until I was halfway out the door…it should be McGonagall here, not me…trust Potter not to turn up…trust his stupid friends to get worried…trust Dumbledore to think he needed an escort…" Snape was grumbling something along these lines when someone came crashing into him. It was a woman with an abnormally long neck. An extremely fat boy was following her. Snape pulled out his wand and was about to wipe their memories of him when the woman started babbling.

"Wizard, you're a wizard! Quick, he's in there with him and he's got a gun!" The woman started to push him up a path leading to a house.

"Who?" Snape said, feeling slightly confused.

"HARRY!"

"Harry's got a gun?" forget confused, Snape was well and truly bewildered by now.

"Just get in there!" She pushed Severus into the house. He walked into a room just in time to see Harry struggling to stand, and a large, beefy man backhand him into a wall. He fell to the floor with a sickening thud, and Severus knew with a grim certainty that Harry would not stand up again. However, Harry was shifting, and slowly, oh so slowly, stood. He held himself straight and tall and slowly looked up. Snape gagged as he saw the bruises and blood that was flowing out of several cuts on Harry's face. The thing that shocked Severus the most though were his eyes. They were dull, but held a glint of angry determination that Severus was sure he would not have had if he were the same age and in the same position as Harry. Hell, he would have bee shaking and screaming in abject terror.

"Have you learnt your lesson yet, boy?" The ton in the man's voice said quite plainly that he did not care if he had or not. Severus was sure that this was the case.

"Lesson? What lesson?" Harry asked in an innocently surprised tone. "I wasn't aware that you were teaching one, Vernon."

"You _will_ learn to show some respect, you piece of dung!" Vernon screamed, spittle flying out of his mouth. Harry laughed suddenly, a hoarse, hacking sound that had absolutely no humour in it at all.

"Respect, Vernon? Oh, I respect a lot of people. My friends, for putting up with everything that knowing me entails, Neville Longbottom for living the kind of life he does and not complaining or seeking pity. Dumbledore for being able to find some good in everyone, McGonagall for her fairness, heck, even Snape for turning away from what Voldemort offered and working for Dumbledore, even though it could cost him his life! And yes Vernon, they are wizards!"

Snape jerked in surprise as Harry named him, then flinched as he said You-Know-Who's name. Vernon's face had become a mottled red and purple colour. And he quickly pulled the gun the lady had been yelling about from his belt, and leveled it at Harry's head.

"You're gone, boy," he growled.

Everything seemed to slow down for Snape. He pulled out his wand and yelled the Disarming Charm, and at the same time Harry screamed in rage and pain, and Vernon went flying against the wall. But the trigger had already been pulled, and the bullet was flying towards Harry. Amongst all the jumbled thoughts in Severus' head, one rang clear as a bell.

'Crud. Dumbledore's going to go spare."

Harry went cross-eyed for a second, trying to follow the path of the bullet. He felt a slight breeze pass by his ear, and turned to stare at the new hole in the wall beside his head.

"Oh…" was all he said, before turning and focusing on the figure by the door. He identified it as Snape, who was looking inexplicably angry. A single thought occurred to Harry, as darkness rose to claim him.

"Damn. Haven't done potions homework…" he muttered as he toppled over.


	3. Knight Buses, Fireplaces and Beetles, Oh...

Chapter Three Hi People!! New chapter for you all!! I got some great reviews, and am in the process of sending thankyou notes even as I type! I forgot to write a disclaimer on the other chapters, so here it is. Hi to the gang!  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, my friends and I would all be walking through the streets of Tokyo right now, buying whatever we wanted. Instead I am sitting at home on the computer, praying that JKR won't sue. Does that cover it?**__**

Chapter Three

Snape moved forward and caught Harry as he fell then lifted him, astounded at how light he was. Under the circumstances, he decided, he would take the Knight Bus the couple of kilometres to the house with the fire he had come through. He was about to leave, when he noticed Vernon pinned against the wall. He had turned an interesting shade of blue and was making strange gurgling noises.

"I didn't use a Choking Charm, and Harry didn't have his wand…" Snape thought, and made a mental note to tell Dumbledore about it. He released Vernon from the spell and turned him into a beetle before shoving him into his pocket. He almost bumped into the woman and boy whom he presumed were Petunia and Dudley, the family Harry was staying with. Severus irritably motioned for them to follow as he stalked up to the corner of the street. He shoved Harry at Petunia and pulled out his wand, holding it out in his right hand. Dudley and Petunia paled as the Knight Bus pulled up, but got on quietly.

"Hedge St." Severus told the bus driver, Stan Turnpike curtly.

As the bus took off, Petunia timidly asked what happened to Vernon.

"He's in my pocket."

"You shrunk him?" Petunia asked, her eyes growing wide.

Snape glared at her. "Don't be stupid. I turned him into a beetle."

Seconds later, Stan announced that they had arrived. Snape strode into a house and grabbed some floo powder. Giving some to the woman and boy, he told them to throw it in the fire then step in it and say Hogwarts. The boy could only just fit. Once they were through he picked up Harry from the chair he had placed him in and followed.

At Hogwarts the festivities were in full swing. The first years had been sorted, and no one else was due to arrive. You can imagine the Gryffindor's surprise, therefore, when a horse-necked woman and a whale-like boy, obviously muggles, stumbled out of the fireplace. A soot-smudged Snape came soon after, holding a dirty bundle in his arms. Severus strode over to the Gryffindor end of the table, ignoring the muggles, and cleared it with a sweep of his arm. Ignoring the complaints and cries of dismay from a few hapless students who had gotten covered in food and drink, he laid the bundle on the cleared space. Gasps of shock and horror filled the Gryffindor's area as a part of the bundle shifted slightly, revealing Harry's bruised and battered face. 

Snape drew in a breath then said quietly, "Headmaster, we need Poppy." 

McGonagall hurried off to fetch her immediately. As students began to fire questions at Severus, he seemed to remember something. He pulled a beetle out of his pocket and placed it on the floor just as the spell wore off. Suddenly Vernon was standing in the beetle's place. He took one look around the hall and paled. Then he noticed Harry's inert body. He charged at the table and hit him hard, sending him flying onto the Slytherin end of the table.

"Stupefy!" Snape yelled, pointing his wand at Vernon. He fell to the floor, and the Potions Master gradually realised that he had not been the only one to call out the spell. The rest of the teachers and all of Gryffindor except for the first years, as well as a few Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws were all on their feet, brandishing their wands.

Just then Poppy entered, and muttering to herself darkly, bore Harry away on a stretcher. Dumbledore cleared his throat, and told all the students to go to their common rooms, then told Professor Snape to come with him to the Hospital Wing.

"How is he, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked the plump matron. 

"Not too good, I'm afraid. He has severe bruising on the majority of his body, as well as being dehydrated and severely underweight. He also has a broken arm and leg, as well as severe lacerations on his chest and back. Most of his wounds are too old to heal with magic."

Dumbledore nodded, his face serious. "Is he awake?"

"No, but you can go and see him if you like," Madam Pomfrey indicated to a room. The two teachers walked into the room and were greeted by a horrible sight. Harry lay in one of the beds, his face bruised and swollen, his chest bound tightly in white bandages that were already stained with blood. His right arm and left leg were in plaster, and a crystal orb with black and red swirling in it beeped quietly. Just then yells and cries sounded from the hall outside, and slowly became distinguishable.

"Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, get back here!" McGonagall's voice echoed into the room.

"No way! Harry never received his toilet seat!" The unmistakable voices of the Weasley twins cried back. The group of children burst into the room with McGonagall close behind them. The group froze in shock as their gazes fell on Harry. 

Hermione slowly sank into one of the seats by the beds.

"Harry…" she whispered quietly.

Ron turned towards Snape with a suspicious look in his eyes.

"What happened to him?" he demanded.

"I think perhaps it would be better if we all saw," Dumbledore interjected gently.

Snape glanced at Dumbledore for a moment, then nodded, sighing.

"All right, if we have to." He sat down in one of the chairs.

"Are you sure, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, concern flickering in his eyes.

Snape smiled bitterly and nodded.

"What are you doing?" asked Hermione, slight interest sneaking into her voice.

"I'm going to put a simple spell on Professor Snape that will show us exactly what happened to Harry."

"Oh."

Dumbledore turned and, pointing his wand at Severus muttered _Memorius Animatus_.

Snape stiffened, and then images shot out of his forehead, hitting the wall in front of him.

__

"Wizard! You're a wizard!" … "Have you learnt you're lesson yet, boy?" …   
"What lesson? I wasn't aware you were teaching one, Vernon" …"You're gone, boy."

The images played out on the wall, and the horror inside of them all grew with each picture. Dumbledore removed the spell from Snape and he slumped forward, his face grey.

Ron looked at Harry for a moment, then whispered, "Will he be okay?"

Just as Ron finished the question, Harry stiffened, then arched his back, and began to scream. As he did so each wizard and witch in the room felt something pass through them, as if searching, then move on. The orb that was beside Harry began to glow white and shriek with him. Madam Pomfrey rushed into the room, took one look at the orb, and ran over to Harry, holding him down on the bed.

"Poppy, what's going on?" Dumbledore asked, his voice concerned.

"He's having a magical surge. It's very rare, and this is the worst possible time for it to happen," The Doctor ground out as she struggled against Harry. Just then the orb burst, sending crystal shards flying and Harry slumped back, eyes tightly closed and his chest heaving.

"He's going to have to be watched. There is no way of telling when he will have another, but he will, and someone needs to be there." Poppy sighed.

Dumbledore nodded, his face grave. 

"Severus, could you please inform the Ministry of Magic of what has happened and request a trial for Vernon Dursley? It would also be helpful if they would grant permission for Harry's Aunt and Cousin to stay here, at least until the trial. They may be needed as witnesses. I will inform the staff, of what has happened, then come back to watch him." He ushered the students out of the room, despite their protests, Snape and McGonagall following slowly. They hadn't gotten Fred and George out in time though. They had already placed the toilet seat by Harry's bed, and Madam Pomfrey's cry of rage echoed throughout the castle when she found it. 


	4. The Secret Society of......?

Chapter Four Okay people, I have hit eighty reviews, and I am extremely happy. One of my Beta-readers has gone through this, but my other one hasn't sent me it back yet. Sorry Crystal Music, but people were getting impatient. Now, the humour starts to become more obvious in this one, and Sirius Black will appear in the next one for everyone who was wondering. Sorry but I'm not revealing what magical surges are yet, that will be coming in later chapters. A hint though - Dumbledore had them. Hi to the gang, and especially to Rebecca, who beta-read this for me. People, if you go to my little profile thingimibob, go to Min_1979's thing and read her stories. They are great, and compared to her I am a dull spark. Also, I forgot to mention something. I am sure that a lot of you know about the situation with Cassandra Claire, and I am sure a lot of you are unhappy about it. A few authors that have left are setting up a seperate HP fanfiction site, and I would like to ask you to allow them to post your fanfiction on their page as well as on FF.net. In my reviews page an author called Tygrestick left a review, and there should be a link to the new site from there. Thank you. That is all, Enjoy.   
  
_Disclaimer_  
  
JK Rowling is God. I am the anti-christ. I do not own the Potter series, I just stole the characters temporarily and turned them into my puppets, forcing them to perform my every whim. _Bwhhaaa-haaa-haa-haa-haa-haa! MWHAAA-haa-haa-haa-haa-haaa! _***coughs and splutters, before walking off muttering about how she must practice her evil laugh***

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Chapter Four

It had been a week since Harry had arrived at Hogwarts, and he was still unconscious. The teachers had been watching him non-stop, but they were beginning to feel the strain of having to control Harry whenever he had a surge, as well as organising and teaching classes, and marking homework. Many of the classes had become lax because of this. One class that had not, however, was Potions. 

"Neville! I specifically told you _not_ to add the dragon bile until the potion had turned green!!" Snape's voice roared through the dungeon. "Five points from Gryffindor!"

"I-I-I'm sorry Sir, I-I-I didn't think I had…Or maybe I did…I just can't stop thinking about Harry" Neville's voice faded out as Professor Snape glared at him. 

"I do not care if your best friend, or worst enemy for that matter, is lying in a hospital bed; you are not. You are in my class and as long as you are you will pay attention!"

Snape turned to walk to the front of the class, then stopped.

"Mr. Malfoy, ten points from Slytherin and a detention for touching another student's potion."

Malfoy, who had been snickering at Neville, stopped and stared at Snape in shock and anger. So did most of the class. Severus either did not notice this or did not care, as he continued walking around the classroom, giving commands and yelling at anyone who did not follow them.

Professor Snape was walking up the corridor towards the Hospital wing to take his watch when he heard Madam Pompfrey screaming angrily. He increased his pace, and was about to walk into the wing when Professor Dumbledore appeared beside him, seemingly out of thin air, and stopped him. Dumbledore motioned for him to listen, and Snape became aware, for the first time, of exactly what Poppy was yelling.

"You are not going to class and that is final! You are injured, and should be resting!"

At this, Dumbledore walked forward, and pushed the doors open. Madam Pomfrey was standing at the end of the bed, yelling at Harry, who was awake, standing, and pulling his robes on over the bandages. Pomfrey reached out to push him back onto the bed, but Harry dodged out of the way of her hand, an amazing feat considering he had both an arm and leg in plaster. Luckily it was his right arm and left leg, otherwise he would have fallen over when he moved. 

"Harry, it's good to see you awake, but you really should rest," Dumbledore said, reaching out to touch Harry's arm gently. Harry jerked away, and turned to gaze at him warily. The look in Harry's eyes shocked them all. He held an air about him that was akin to that of a wild animal, ready to run or fight if something threatened him. Harry relaxed slightly when he saw it was the Headmaster, but he still remained alert, and Snape could not shake the feeling that if Harry wanted out he would get out, no matter what. 

"Besides, you don't have any of your supplies yet," Dumbledore said carefully.

Harry seemed to consider this, then sat on the bed…and started putting his shoes. 

Dumbledore sighed. "Okay Harry, I'll make a deal with you. If you can make it to the door leading out of the Hospital Wing without falling over or using anything besides your crutches," he said, motioning to a pair lying beside the bed, "Severus will take you to Diagon Alley for your supplies." 

Harry regarded Dumbledore for a moment, then turned and looked at Snape closely, before nodding. He got up slowly, picked up the crutches, and began to carefully hobble towards the door. Poppy glared at Dumbledore, but he was too busy watching Harry to notice. Severus noticed that Dumbledore had the gleam in his eye that he got when he was testing or weighing up something. A small cough caught his attention, and Severus sighed. Harry had made it to the door. 

__

'Congratulations, you have won a trip to Diagon Alley with one injured and most probably mentally unstable... Harry!' A sarcastic voice said in Snape's head, and he scowled. He mentally made a note not to go near the Muggle Studies Professor unless there was someone else nearby. Last night he had run into Cornelious Flagstack, and had found himself watching muggle gameshows all night, unable to escape.

"Alright Potter, get your things." Severus said, silently cursing his luck, or lack thereof. Harry grabbed his wand from the front desk near the door, where Madam Pomfrey had placed it for safekeeping, and looked expectantly at Snape. Sighing, Severus stalked past Harry, curtly telling him to follow.

The unlikely pair managed to make it to the Leaky Cauldron without any mishaps, besides the fact that Harry almost got stuck coming out of the fireplace. The few people in there stared at them curiously, then went back to studying their drinks. They made their way out to the courtyard and into Diagon Alley slowly. 

"Alright Potter, where first?" Snape asked, now resigned to the fact that he was stuck with him. Harry pointed mutely towards Eelops Owl Emporium.

"We are here to get school supplies, not…" Severus started to say, then stopped. Harry had already started towards the building. Snape sighed, and began to stride after him, mentally cursing the day he had met Harry. By the time he had managed to get through the suddenly large crowds (Severus was sure that there was some kind of society that made it their business to get in the way just when it was least convenient), Harry already had a large pile of various contraptions and supplies piled on the counter, ranging from 'Grandma's Grand Feather Glosser' to 'Bernie's Bone Breakage Brew'. The shopkeeper was just handing the change to Harry, when a great black and brown screech owl flew in. The wind from its wings blew Harry's fringe out of his eyes, and a second later the shopkeeper began to babble.

"Harry Potter!! _The_ Harry Potter!! In my store! Fantastic to meet you, never believed I would be lucky enough to…" The man reached out to clap Harry on the shoulder. In an instant, Harry was crouched, ready to run. The shopkeeper pulled back in alarm, and began to apologise to Harry, and then to Snape as he watched him guide Harry out of the building. Severus turned Harry about to face him and was just about to give him an earful when Harry stiffened. The Potions Master watched in dismay as Harry's eyes became unfocused, and he began to scream. Hundreds of miles away, the newly replaced white orb next to Harry's bed in the Hospital Wing began to shriek along with him.

People turned to stare at the screaming teenager, then started to panic as shop windows cracked, warped and fell out of their frames. People doing their weekly shopping found that instead of holding a bag with a bottle of butterbeer in it they were now holding a bag leaking butterbeer that had shards of glass floating in it. Harry fell to the ground, and Snape moved to hold him down. Several people, thinking that Severus was attacking Harry, tried to pull him away. After placing them under the full body bind, Snape turned back to Harry. He was already calming down, and within a few minutes he opened his eyes and slowly stood. He glanced around at all the people staring at him, brushed off his robes and headed towards the Apothecary. Severus, who had been removing the Body Binds he had cast and apologising, turned around to see Harry halfway there, and, growling a curse, set off after him. Once again the large crowds seemed to get in the irate Potions Master's way, and by the time he had reached the Apothecary Harry was already on his way out. Growling under his breath, Snape grabbed Harry's arm and guided him towards Flourish and Blotts as he seemed intent on completing his mission. They gathered up the books needed and payed for them, before Severus, who was, although he would never admit it, a little concerned about Harry guided him to a seat. Just as Harry sat down, Dumbledore appeared from a fountain that was in the middle of the street, looking extremely worried. He strode towards them, and asked Professor Snape what had happened. As Severus explained, Dumbledore hurried the pair to the fountain and, murmuring something unintelligible under his breath and tapping one of the taps with his wand, opened a secret passage. The water from the fountain shielded them from view, and they walked quickly into the passage. 

"This tunnel leads directly to Hogwarts. It has a distance spell on it, so it only takes half an hour to get here," Dumbledore said in answer to Snape's questioning look. Severus nodded, then remembering something, turned towards the entrance into Diagon Alley. Taking out his wand, he muttered _Sonorus Directus_.

"If I ever," the Professor said in a chillingly calm voice, "_Ever_ find out who is behind the so-called _spontaneous_ large crowds here, I will track them down and carve out their spleen with a dull wooden spoon." He then stalked away, followed by an extremely amused Dumbledore. Harry followed quietly, his gaze locked on his feet.

***

In Knockturn Alley, a trio of figures shuddered as they heard Snape's threat, then laughed nervously.

"Do you, er, think we should change our target?" One asked timidly.

"No way." said another, barely able to control the amusement in his voice. "This is way too much fun." Having finished their meeting, the three highest members in the _Secret Society for Spontaneous Crowds and Annoying Obstacles_ went their separate ways.


	5. What Could Possibly Be Worse Then Mrs. N...

Chapter Five Okay people, fifth chapter. I'd like to thank all my beta-readers, and say thanks to everyone who reviewed. This chapter is a little strange, because I had Writers Block when I wrote it, but I worked and worked, and I think it should be okay.BTW, Remember to give permission to Tygrestick to let her use your fanfiction on her pages, okay?   
  
_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own it, okay? Now either go away or read the fic...** MWWHHHAAAA-HAAAAA-HAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! BWWWHHHAAAAAA-HAAAAAAAA-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!** Sorry if it was a bit blunt, but I'm not feeling well. It's not like anyone reads these things anyway...*walks off to practice her mad laugh* **__**

Chapter Five

As the trio walked out of the opening behind the bookcase in Dumbledore's office, a dog came running up, stopped in front of Harry, and transformed back into Sirius Black. He knelt by Harry, and grabbed him by the shoulders, about to pull him into a hug. Harry immediately began to fight him, thrashing about wildly. Sirius let go, shocked, and looked at Dumbledore.

"What's wrong with him?" He asked hoarsely, gesturing to Harry, who was huddled up in the corner, shaking. Dumbledore looked quickly at Harry, before turning to Snape, who was scowling horribly at Sirius.

"Did he say anything to you, Severus?" Dumbledore asked slowly.

Snape shook his head.

"I didn't really expect him to, Albus. We don't exactly get along, as you might have guessed." The last part was a tad sarcastic. Severus was still smarting over the fact that he seemed to have become temporary guardian to Harry.

"Yes, but he hasn't said anything since he's been awake. He hasn't asked about anyone, didn't reply to me when I was talking to him, and he's been extremely jumpy. That and his reactions to being touched… I think maybe we should get Poppy to examine him again." Sirius nodded, and turned back into the dog. They walked out, making sure Harry followed. Severus briefly entertained the thought of kicking Sirius while he was a dog, but decided against it. 'It might make Dumbledore a bit upset,' Snape thought. Sirius however, did not seem to have come to the same conclusion. He nipped Severus' heels whenever Dumbledore was not looking, and Snape was quickly rethinking his decision. 'Really, he's worse than Mrs. Norris,' Snape thought, disgusted. Although he would never admit it, he found Mrs. Norris just as annoying as some of the students, and longed to give her a good kick up the backside. Snape had just decided that the next time Sirius bit him he would receive one royally painful kick, when they reached the Hospital Wing. Harry was watching them all warily, Severus noticed with a shock, and he had his wand in his hand. Dumbledore ushered them all into the Wing, and called for Madam Pomfrey, who came bustling out, looking ready for anything. When she saw Harry, she groaned, muttered something about how he should just live in the Wing, and told him to sit on one of the beds.

"What is wrong now, Dumbledore?" she asked, pulling out all manner of weird and wonderful pieces of equipment. 

"He hasn't spoken a word, and he seems to be unusually jumpy," Dumbledore told her. She glanced up at him sharply, then turned to Harry. After trying to get him to hold still several times without success, she sighed, raised her wand, and stupefied him. Sirius, still a dog, growled at her, but she simply shushed him.

"If I'm going to find out what is wrong with him, I need to be able to examine him." She told Sirius severely. He whined, and lay down, his tail between his legs. Snape sneered at him, disgusted at the way he was acting. Poppy checked Harry from head to toe, then woke him. Harry immediately sat up, and scowled, his eyes looking at the three staff and dog darkly. 

"Harry, could you tell me what day it is please?" Madam Pomfrey asked briskly. Harry simply stared at her then turned away and looked out the window. The matron sighed.

"I was wondering if this would happen," She said gloomily. "I guess it should be expected, after all he's been through…"

"What's wrong?" Dumbledore asked, concern flickering in his eyes.

Poppy sighed again, then told them that Harry was in a kind of shock. 

"Harry…Harry has a certain type of amnesia. It's very rare, and only occurs in Wizards. He has had so many terrible things happen to him already, and his Uncle was the last straw. Because of it, he has attempted to block out all the bad memories of his, but because of his injuries he didn't succeed in his attempt. He can remember what has happened, but all his memories are warped, and he doesn't know if the information he remembers is true or not, so he simply does not trust us. I'm not really surprised. After all, how can you trust other people when you can't even trust yourself?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly, sorrow in his eyes. "I suspected as much."

Poppy glanced at the dog on the floor as it began to howl. 

"That dog is very intelligent, isn't it?" She said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it could understand what we're saying." Shaking her head, she walked out of the room.

"He can go to classes if he wants, it would probably help him. I'll have to look through my books to find a cure, it's been a while since I've seen a case like this." She called over her shoulder. Harry immediately got up and started to head to the door, handling his crutches like a professional. He stopped to grab the books that Severus had placed on the front bench, and then was gone.

Snape hurried towards his next class. 

'This just isn't my day,' He thought savagely. 'First Potter, now I have to teach those idiotic friends of his!' He grinned then. 'At least Potter won't be there. Without his timetable to tell him where to go, and with him not speaking, he'll just wander around the school aimlessly!' Snape stalked into his classroom, noting the abnormally large amount of noise, and looked around for the cause. His heart sank. Sitting in one of the back rows, with all the Gryffindor's in the room surrounding him, was Harry. They were bombarding him with questions, and he looked about ready to curse the lot of them. His eyes lifted to meet Severus' sending a clear message. Help me. Snape stood there for a moment, then took a deep breath and bellowed,

"IF EVERYONE, AND I MEAN EVERYONE IS NOT BACK IN THEIR SEATS IN TWO SECONDS, YOU WILL HAVE NIGHT DETENTION WITH ME UNTIL YOU GRADUATE!" 

There was a rush for places. In a moment everyone had found a place and were seated, but around Harry. Snape grinned nastily, and sneered at the class.

"Oh no. I am _not_ having you lot whispering all through my lesson. All of you will move up to the front benches, except for Harry." The Gryffindors muttered darkly amongst themselves, but did as the Professor said, fearing detention. 

"Alright class, get your things ready. Today we are attempting to make a truth potion called Honto no Koto. It originates from Japan, and is similar to Veritaserum, but not as powerful. You will have to listen carefully, and I suggest you take notes, as this may appear on the OWLs test. You will be needing these ingredients…"

Harry was only half listening to Snape as he listed the things needed for the potion. He knew something was wrong with him and he didn't like it, whatever it was. He had memories of people and events, but there were problems with them. Details were missing from his memories, and things did not add up. The fact that his own mind could not be trusted made him nervous. One part of him said that the dog who had transformed into a man was Sirius Black, a falsely convicted murderer, and his godfather. Another part said that, no, that was impossible, Sirius Black had killed his parents, and was not an animagus. 

Harry realised with a start that the other students had started making the potion. No matter how messed up he was, one thing was clear. The OWL's were this year, and he was already behind. He slowly started to chop up the salamander tail, and measured out the beetle eyes. He mixed the potion slowly, then left it to simmer, and started to stare out the window. 

"Harry, you will see me after class."

The aforementioned boy jerked awake to see Snape standing over him. He stared at him for a moment, then, deciding that he was not a threat as yet, he nodded. The rest of the class was buzzing with discussion, some wondering why Snape wanted Harry to see him after class, some muttering about not getting to talk to Harry. Professor Snape turned and glared, the threat of detention in his eyes, and the class promptly fell silent. He stalked to the front and handed out the homework (an essay on a three foot piece of parchment, about the properties and uses of Honto no Koto), and dismissed the class. As the class filed out of the room, Draco Malfoy stopped beside Harry's desk. 

"I guess you're weaker then I thought, Potter. Can't even stand up to your muggle Uncle." Malfoy snickered as Harry stared at him. Slowly he stopped and started to fidget as Harry continued to stare at him.

'What is it with him? He's looking at me as if he can see exactly what I'm thinking…" Malfoy thought, then started as he felt a hand fall onto his shoulder.

"I suggest that you get a move on, Mr. Malfoy, unless you want to volunteer to clean up this room tonight…" 

Snape watched the boy scuttle out of the room, and shook his head. He knew Malfoy had some slight talent, but he'd never get anywhere if he didn't learn to control his maliciousness, at least enough to be bearable. Somewhere in the back of his mind a little voice snickered and told him in a rather nasty voice that he perhaps he should put that little idea into practice first. Severus shook his head and turned towards Potter.

Harry fidgeted under the Professor's gaze. 

'Why is he looking at me like that? You would think I'd grown another head…" Harry thought, annoyed. 

"How did you do it, Potter?" The sudden noise in the otherwise quiet classroom made Harry jump and glance at Snape nervously.

'Do what? All I did was fall asleep, and that isn't too hard…Maybe Snape's an insomniac…' Harry realised that Snape was talking again, and dragged his concentration back to the teacher.

"…Normally in the Sixth Year's curriculum, not even Granger managed to get it perfect, and yet you did. How?" 

This time it was Harry's turn to stare at Snape as if he had grown another head.

'What's he talking about? All you have to do is mix a bunch of things together in the proper order…'

Snape glared at Harry for a moment when he didn't answer, then dismissed him. Harry walked out of the classroom slowly, fumbling with his crutches slightly.

Snape watched him go and sighed, running one hand through his greasy hair.

'How did he manage that? Potter's never been that good at potions…and come to think of it, how did he know which class he had, and just who put that charm on his Uncle?' Severus thought, remembering how Harry had been sitting in the classroom waiting, and the Choking Charm he had had to remove from the grossly fat man who was Harry's Uncle. In all the excitement Severus had forgotten to tell Dumbledore about it, and wondered if he should tell Dumbledore about these events. Making up his mind, headed for the Headmaster's Office.


	6. Snakes and Solutions.

Okay people, here you are

Okay people, here you are. Next chapter, as promised. I'm getting these out about once every week. BTW, I'm always looking for a few more beta-readers, so email me if you're interested.

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Disclaimer: :::groans::: Do I really have to do this? :::screams as big burly men in suits walk on in a lawyer-like fashion::: Okay, okay! I don't own the goods! You happy now? Sheesh…

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Chapter Six

Things were not going well for Harry. He had no idea where to go, and an annoying voice kept telling him to go to the Transfiguration classroom. Eventually he decided to do what the voice said, if only to get it to shut up. He had almost reached it when he felt a strange tingling inside him. He ignored it, and walked around the last corner leading to his goal. Harry froze. Standing in the corridor in front of him were Petunia and Dudley Dursley. They stared at him for a moment, before approaching him.

"Are you…okay, Harry?" His Aunt asked, sounding extremely uncomfortable, and was fidgeting as if she really didn't want to be there. That was fine by Harry, as he really didn't want them to be there. 

'Why are they here? This is Hogwarts; they're muggles, they're not supposed to be here!' Harry thought frantically. The tingling inside him was growing with his panic, and he knew that he had to get away. He pushed past them quickly, and turned into the Transfiguration classroom. Harry quickly closed the door and leaned against it, ignoring the curious stares from the Ravenclaw's, who were also having Transfiguration. After a moment he stood and headed down the back of the room, ignoring the people who were calling for him to come sit next to them. Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, and continued with the lesson. Harry chose a seat right down the back, in a corner. The class was transfiguring potted plants into terriers complete with tartan waistcoat, and it was not going well. Neville's dog was still in a pot, and instead of fur it had leaves. It was attempting to bark, but the only sound that came out of its mouth was a rustling noise. Harry was not that interested in Transfiguration at that moment however. The annoying tingling was still growing, and his body felt like it was on fire. He struggled through the class, and managed to hold in the building surge until the end of the lesson. Then, as people gathered around him and began to interrogate him about what happened, he reached his peak. The other students backed away from him as he struggled with the power inside of him. The air crackled around him, and everyone in the room felt a sudden oppression of their senses, as if a damp cloth had fallen over them. 

Harry was trying desperately to stop the sudden flow of power. There was no glass in this room; nothing to break. He opened his eyes sightly and looked around. He saw Neville's terrier cowering pitifully on the bench, and directed the energy inside of him towards all the dogs and plants in the room.

McGonagall watched as Harry went into a surge. She knew that nothing in the room could be broken, but she also knew that he had to get rid of the power somehow. Suddenly Harry released it, and she watched in surprise and slight awe as all the partially transfigured pot plants turned into proper terriers. The rest of the class was in a panic, and Harry was slumped forward on his desk. McGonagall silently thanked her lucky stars. Harry had not started to scream this time, which was a definite blessing. She was sure that if he had screamed the class would be far worse then the shambles it was in now. The Professor quickly pushed her way through the crowd of students, and guided Harry out of the room, towards the Infirmary. The class watched her go, and stood silently for a moment, before one Ravenclaw student broke the silence.

"What in the name of the good holy God just happened?"

The rest of the school week was basically the same, except for the fact that Madam Pomfrey removed the cast from Harry's leg a few days later, muttering about how it was lucky he was an extremely fast healer. Harry would sometimes attend classes, and sometimes he would skip them all together. The temporary Defence Against Dark Arts teacher who was filling in until the real one arrived from Bulgaria, Arabella Figg, seemed to know Harry from somewhere but he acted the same around her as he did around everyone else. He would go to breakfast early and to dinner late, and no one knew what time he went to bed. And all the time, Madam Pomfrey searched her medical books for a cure.

The next big disturbance was in a Potions lesson. The class had continued to cover Japanese potions, and was currently working on a scatterbrain potion, which was designed to make the subject forgetful and clumsy. Several Slytherins had joked that Neville must have had a bad dose when he was younger, and because of this he was even more clumsy than usual. Therefore, when he accidentally tipped over his cauldron and spilled his half-finished potion, no one was surprised. No one, that is, except for the snake that had somehow found its way into the room and had decided to sleep under the bench that Neville's cauldron had been balanced precariously on. It had been covered in the potion and, hissing madly, it wrapped itself around Neville's leg. The whole class stopped, and turned to watch the drama. 

Neville was more nervous then he usually was. They were making a Japanese scatterbrain potion, and the Slytherins were using that to their advantage. He carefully added the rats fur then turned to get the crushed beetle eyes when his elbow clipped the side of his cauldron. He turned back and tried to grab it, but it slipped out of his grip and fell to the floor. Neville was not quite sure what happened next, but one thing was certain. There was now a snake wrapped tightly about his leg, and each pair of eyes from its seven heads were all staring at him menacingly.

The snake and Neville were so still that for just a moment it looked like a frozen tableau. Then, just as the serpent whipped its heads back and prepared to strike, a small bolt of light hit it, knocking it off of Neville, and burning his leg slightly in the process. Professor Snape watched as the small reptile was knocked to the back row, and was just about to stupefy it, when he heard a quiet voice.

"Stop."

It was Harry. Everyone turned to stare at him. It was the first time he had spoken since he had woken in the Hospital Wing. Harry, not paying any attention to the looks he was receiving, stood up and walked over to the small snake. As he did so it moved away, and for the first time Professor Snape got a good look at it. It was a secosnake. They were very rare, and were very untrusting. However, if you did somehow gain their trust, they were extremely loyal and brave allies. 

Harry knelt with some difficulty beside the snake, and Snape was shocked to hear him hissing softly. He had forgotten that Harry was a Parselmouth and, judging from the looks on the faces of his students, so had they. The snake replied to whatever Harry had said, and turned to look at Neville. It then stared at Severus for a moment, and he had the most peculiar feeling that it was glaring at him. The secosnake hissed something without taking his eyes off Professor Snape. Harry replied, and Snape could have sworn he heard a slight tinge of amusement in the hissing. The serpent turned and glided back towards Harry, who held his arm out towards it. To everyone's surprise, the snake wound itself around his arm, and laid its heads on his shoulder. Harry then stood up and went back to his place, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all. Just then Madam Pomfrey walked into the room, looking slightly flustered.

"I've got it!" She said excitedly, looking for all the world as if she had won the lottery.

"You're sure?" Severus asked, eyebrow raised slightly.

Madam Pomfrey bristled. "Are you questioning my abilities as a healer, Severus?" 

Snape merely snickered to himself, and she looked slightly abashed. She glared at him and, muttering something about it not being her fault she never had the time to read over her books, walked out of the room.


	7. Memorius Privatus

Chapter Seven   
*walks on slowly, a clipboard held against her chest* Umm...Hi. I know what you're thinking! I know because I 've been thinking the same thing! IT WAS ME!!!!!!!! I DID IT!!!!!!! If you don't know what I'm talking about you obviously haven't been to ff.net for the pst week or so. It's been down. *winces* I didn't mean to, I swear! *ducks the various rotten fruits, vegetables and eggs coming her way* It's just the way my luck works you see. In my last chapter I said I was getting these things out about once a week, so of course ff.net just had to go and chuck a wobbly to prove me wrong! *more fruit comes her way, and Olwin, Mevin and all of the rest of the thirteen voices in her head abandon her* I'm really, really sorry! BUT!! I am actually up to chapter fourteen with this thing - uneditted of course - so even if I get writer's block I should still be able to post!! *fruit stops coming, but there are still glares being tossed her way from the umm...not that large, actually...crowd in front of her. Once again I am not particularly happy with this chapter, but I've been through it many times and can't think of anything better, so this is what you're getting. Also, I have some bad news. *people pick up the fruit again* Don't worry, I'm not stopping the story! I won't stop the story! It's just my family are going down to Sydney during the September Holidays (I live in Australia if you haven't guessed, which also accounts for my different spelling), and I have to go along with them, so I won't be able to post for two weeks or so. I'll put one or two chapters up just before we go though, I promise! And when we come back I'm going to get a whole heap of HP goods! YAY!!! Mmmm...Slytherin and Gryffindor T-shirts (which are technically supposed to be for guys, but who really cares?), HP hats, books...I'm going to get a Mrs. Norris doll just so I can give it a boot up the bum...Well, I'd better stop writing this, or it'll end up as long as the chapter, which would be really scary...BTW, speaking of length, I know some of you want longer chapters, but longer chapters = not out for two or three weeks, and I don't want to do it that way. Also, this is the way I write, so deal. Don't worry though, I'm at approximately 20 000 words, and I'm only up to them going to Vernon's trial, so it will be long. As in over 40 chapters, I beleieve...So, as I sit and listen to David Bowie singing Magic Dance from my new Labyrinth Soundtrack (new obsession, don't ask), I bid my fair readers adieu! *looks around and see's everyone has left to read the fic* THAT WAS IMPORTANT INFO, YOU FOOLS!!!!! *shrugs* Don't say I didn't tell you...  
  
  
_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own the goods, okay? I will own some HP merchandise soon, but I don't own the real thing. You're probably glad I don't too, considering the *coughLACK OF TALENTcough* in this fic... **__**

Chapter Seven

That night at dinner, Albus Dumbledore announced that lessons would not be held the next day because he needed the assistance of every student and teacher in the performing of a particularly difficult spell. There was much debate between students about what the spell was, but everyone agreed that it had something to do with Harry. The next morning their suspicions were confirmed when they found the main hall rearranged with one seat in the middle and the rest in a circle around it. Harry was sitting slumped on the middle seat, stupefied. Snape was looking very disgruntled with a nice big bruise and small cut on his face, and one of McGonagall's arms were tinged red, as if it had been struck a glancing blow. The seats slowly filled, and when everyone was sitting, Dumbledore walked up to the front of the hall and addressed the audience. 

"I suppose you are wondering what this is all about, hmmm? I believe that all of you should know by now that Harry has a rare form of amnesia," Dumbledore stated, speaking correctly. Rumours had been circulating for days now about what had happened to Harry. "Our esteemed Matron Madam Pomfrey has been searching day and night for a cure, and it seems that the only way that we will ever get Harry back to normal is to perform the Memorius Privatus spell on him. This spell will play the most private memories of his over inside his head. This in itself is not difficult thing to do, but we will have to play all the things that Harry would have tried to get rid of, and that makes it much more difficult. The spell will be performed in waves. The teachers will start, then when I give the signal the first years, then the second years, and so on. Stop when you need to, don't try to keep going. We do not want any more invalids on our hands just yet. Another chance, however slim, is that he will fight the spell, forcing it to change into the Memorius Animatus spell, which will display everything that has happened to Harry for all to see. If this occurs, because of the link created between Harry and the rest of us, we will be able to feel everything that Harry does, hear what he thinks and see what he dreams. The intensity of this side-effect will be extremely muted, but you may not wish to participate, either because of the risk of pain, or that you feel that you would not be comfortable viewing Harry's life. Because of the nature of Harry's illness, the side effect would be played from Harry's point of view; therefore if it occurs we will be watching these events through his eyes. A speed spell has been cast on Harry specifically so that this will not take all day. It will still have the same effect as if it were played at the normal speed however, make no mistake. " No one left the hall, except for the majority of Slytherins. One of the few to remain behind was a timid-looking first year, and Draco Malfoy. The rest of the students nodded, and got ready to cast the spell. Dumbledore chuckled quietly.

"It's nice to know you are all so eager to help a fellow student, but I think it would be wise if we had some breakfast first." He waved his hand, and plates of food appeared in front of all the students, holding a variety of delicious delectables. After everyone had been fed and watered, they prepared to cast the spell. The teachers started, and Harry stiffened in his seat. He frowned, then cried out, and a beam of light shot out Harry's forehead. The worst possible side effect had occurred, and the spell had changed to Memorius Animatus. A few images played on the wall, before flickering and jumping like the picture on a T.V when the video is on the blink. McGonagall, leaned over towards Dumbledore, and said something to him. He shook his head, then told the assembled students that they would have to continue. He gave the signal, and the First Years cast the spell. They continued through until everyone in the Great Hall was concentrating on Harry and the pictures that began to play on the wall in front of him. They watched in amazement as memories that Harry wouldn't have even known he had danced in front of him. They felt him being held by Lily and tickled by James, and saw Remus, Sirius and Peter taking him flying with them as Lily yelled for them to be careful from the ground. 

Then one of the memories that Ron and Hermione dreaded began to play. The whole school watched in horror as Lily tried to protect him from Voldemort and failed. They saw the evil wizard raise his wand, heard him say the two deadly words, and watched the green light rush towards them, as if it wanted to jump off the wall and wipe them from existence.

The next few years showed the Dursleys locking him in the cupboard, and yelling at him for various things. Pity filled them as they watched him being beaten by Dudley on his first day of school, how he had been tied to a roughly-barked tree and felt the pain of having your face slammed against it. Teachers and students alike gasped when the ropes that had held Harry so tightly suddenly fell away, and the cuts and grazes on his face stopped weeping blood.

They saw him face off against Voldemort in his first and second year, saw Scabbers transforming into Pettigrew in his third year. Then the part that they had all secretly wanted to see started to play. The gathered witches and wizards saw Cedric fall, and felt the pain of the Cruciatus curse echo through their bodies. The crowd saw his Uncle hit him in the car on the way to the Dursley's house, and watched in disgust as he was forced to clean the house, starved and beaten. 

When the memories at last faded from the wall, the assembly of people started to mutter amongst themselves.

"Can you believe that Aunt of his? If it had been me I would have done more then just blow her u p!" A slight, dark-haired Hufflepuff cried indignantly.

"Yeah, I know. If it had been me I would have turned her into a rat permanently!" a girl standing beside her agreed.

Up the front, however, the Teachers were discussing something entirely different.

"I thought that you could only perform magic once before you turned eleven. That _is_ how we find students, by monitoring for use of magic in children isn't it? So how did he do all of that without a wand?" Professor Flitwick frowned. 

McGonagall's forehead wrinkled as she tried to remember. "I don't know…I can't really remember." Dumbledore interrupted them all though, effectively shushing the students as well.

"Madam Pomfrey, could you please take Harry to the Hospital Wing? I doubt he will be very pleased with us when he wakes up." 

Madam Pomfrey nodded and, conjuring a stretcher and placing Harry on it, hurried off. Dumbledore then turned to address the rest of the school.

"Thank you for your assistance, students. The rest of the day you can use as you see fit, as long as you don't get into any mischief." The students nodded, and hurried off, still discussing everything that had occurred. The teachers were quick to follow, knowing that they would have to monitor the halls to ensure that none of the students decided to make trouble. Soon Dumbledore was the only one left in the Great Hall. He sighed, and turned to head towards the Hospital Wing.

"Exactly how did you do that without a wand, Harry?" he murmured under his breath as he strode away. 


	8. Sebastian, Martini's and Utter Silence.

Okies people, an update

Okies people, an update. Just a bit of fluff, since the story is going to be getting a lot darker from here on in. I'd also like to extend an apology to Rufus, who has a story with a part in it that seems to be extremely like the whole memory thing in my last chapter. I didn't mean to and I hadn't read the story until after I posted though. Great minds think alike, I guess. We've worked it out though, I'm happy to say, so I won't have to re-write and post that part. Thanks for all the reviews by the way. 200! Whee! BTW, I'm actually up to writing about Halloween. There's going to be a ball, and I'd like to know who Harry should go with. Can't be Hermione, since Ron will be going with her. I personally think he'll be going alone, but I'd just like some opinions, okay? Enjoy! And no, Min, I'm not putting him with Draco.

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Chapter Eight

Dumbledore arrived at the Hospital Wing to find Harry sitting up in the bed and looking extremely disgruntled. He turned towards Dumbledore as he entered.

"What happened after Vernon?" He asked bluntly. Dumbledore smiled slightly, and held out a small cloth bag that he had fetched from Severus before coming to the Infirmary. 

"All in good time, Harry, all in good time. I'm sure that your little...er...friend here may want some reassurance concerning your state of health." He gave the bag to Harry, who opened it cautiously. The secosnake slithered out immediately and wound itself around Harry's neck, hissing softly into his ear.

"Er…." Harry managed, staying extremely still. 

"You met him in a Potions class, and he seems to have adopted you."

"Oh." Harry turned towards the snake and began to hiss at it. It hissed back quietly, and laid its head on his shoulder, watching Dumbledore with great, unblinking eyes. 

"What happened after Vernon?" Harry repeated, and Dumbledore proceeded to explain the events of the last few weeks. Harry listened without interrupting, then sat still for a moment before addressing Dumbledore.

"These magical surges…are they normal? And is there anything I can do to prevent them?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No Harry. They are in fact very rare. The last person to have them was Tom Riddle, they occurred regularly for him over his years here. I experienced them myself briefly after I graduated. The length and severity of the surges depends on the person, and there is no way to prevent them, I'm afraid."

Harry groaned. "You mean I could be in the middle of a quidditch match and I'd just start screaming and topple off of my broom?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe so. It is for this reason that I would prefer you to…"

"No," Harry said flatly. "Quidditch is my joy, Professor. I will do anything else you say, but I will not stop playing quidditch."

Dumbledore studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, but I want you to be extremely careful, and if you feel one coming on you must land immediately."

Harry agreed, and Madam Pomfrey came bustling in. 

"Dear, dear me, Mr. Potter, you do seem to have a habit of injuring yourself…" she muttered as she checked him over, completely ignoring the serpent around his neck, who was glaring at her madly.

"Alright then Mr. Potter, off you go. The password to the Gryffindor common room is Spectre. I expect some of your friends are a bit anxious about you," She said, apparently very pleased with herself for some reason. Harry walked out of the room, one hand absently raising to caress the snake as he did so. 

Dumbledore watched him go thoughtfully. He hadn't told Harry about his strange ability to perform magic without a wand. Something had told him not to, and he was sure that Harry would either figure it out himself or ask him about it one day.

'Just how did he do it?' Dumbledore asked himself quietly again, before walking slowly out of the Hospital Wing.

Harry reached the Fat Lady without any trouble, and gave the password. He scrambled quickly through the opening then closed it behind him, before turning back to the room. Utter silence met him. (A/N - Hi, I'm Silence. Utter Silence. I'll take a martini, shaken, not stirred.) 

Harry rolled his eyes, and said, "So, are you all going to just sit there staring at me, or is someone going to say 'Hi Harry, great to have you back in the land of the sane'?"

Suddenly Harry was engulfed in a pile of people. Fred and George grabbed him and began to dance around the room screaming, and half the girls in the room burst into tears. 

"Hey, hey, hey! I wasn't that out of it was I?" Harry protested, pulling away from Fred and George and brushing down his robes. Fred looked at him seriously.

"Harry, you were so out of it the only thing you would talk to was that snake." Fred gestured towards the secosnake wrapped around Harry's neck.

"Who? Oh, you mean Sebastian," Harry said, reaching up to stroke the serpent, who's seven heads all hissed happily.

Fred and George looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

"S-S-S-Sebastian?!" 

Harry looked hurt. "What's wrong with Sebastian?" Fred and George just started laughing again. Ron and Hermione, who had both been waiting impatiently for Fred and George to finish with him, grabbed Harry and dragged him towards the large, overstuffed couch near the fire. They had been playing a game of chess, and the pieces were looking very put out with the interruption. They continued to play, but very badly, as they were spending too much time staring at Harry and asking questions. Pretty soon the pieces refused to play altogether, and so they just sat and talked to Harry, filling him in on the gossip and what had happened so far in the lessons. Surprisingly, Harry remembered every single thing they had learnt. Before they knew it, it was past midnight and McGonagall came through the portrait hole in a tartan dressing gown and told them all to go to bed before she started deducting points from them.

"Harry, Harry! It's time to get up!" Ron shook the sleeping boy, who promptly turned over and mumbled 'Go away Dudley…it's too early for breakfast…go cook your own bacon (A/N- Funny mental image: Dudley jumping into a frying pan…)…" 

Seamus, who had been watching the proceedings with great interest, burst into laughter. 

"Right. That is it. I can take being whacked, snorted at and pushed away, but being called Dudley I can not!" Ron huffed, before disappearing into the dormitory bathroom. He came back carrying a jug that had a thin sheet of ice floating on top of it, and dumped it over Harry's head. The water didn't hit him however. He had woken up moments before and cast a shielding charm over himself, which reflected the water back onto Ron. Seamus began to laugh even more, as Ron disappeared back into the bathroom, tossing a dirty glare at him as he went. Harry looked at Seamus innocently, and sent him into further gales of laughter. He was still laughing when the group joined Hermione in the common room. She took one look at Ron, who's hair was still wet and had pieces of ice still stuck in the damp locks. He scowled at her and turned away, folding his arms across his chest. She quickly stifled the laugh that had been about to burst out, and suggested that they head to breakfast instead. The four headed off, Harry attempting to apologise to the bedraggled Ron.


	9. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!! And matters of a D...

Hello, people

Hello, people! So, another chapter for you all! I have also decided what to do with the ball. He's going by himself. Sorry, but he becomes a little more withdrawn in later chapters and going with someone would be OOC at that point in time. Halfway through chapter eighteen, by the way, and I've only reached Halloween! At the rate I'm going this will end up having something like sixty to eighty chapters!!! BTW, does anyone here like the movie 'Labyrinth'? If you do, email or ICQ me. I love that movie!! This is a fairly long chapter for me, so enjoy! Also, I know some of you want longer chapters, but this is how I write. If I did longer chapters, you'd have to wait longer for updates, so…Anyway, on to the disclaimer!

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Disclaimer: Not mine. I ain't getting any money from this, so bugger off all you lawyerly-like peoples out there!

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Chapter Nine

After the trio and Seamus had finished breakfast, they headed off to their first lesson, Defence against Dark Arts. The majority of the class were complaining about the seating plan, which had been specifically arranged so that there was at least one seat between each person. Ron, Hermione and Harry were busy discussing the session.

'Great! I heard that the proper Defence Against Dark Arts is arriving today!" Ron said enthusiastically as he rummaged through his bag searching for a quill.

"Who was standing in while I was out of it?" Harry asked curiously. Although he seemed to be able to remember everything they had learnt over the past few weeks, he could not actually remember anything of what had happened.

"Arabella Figg. She's a retired Auror that Dumbledore hired to help protect the school. You'll probably see her around the school every now and then," Hermione told him, sitting down in her seat and dragging out her books. Just then the door swung open and a familiar figure entered entered.

"Good Morning. I am sure you all remember me from last year," Alastor 'Mad Eye' Moody said, setting a cage which had a variety of coloured lights flying around in it and twittering madly, on the table.

"Professor Moody!" Dean, who had fallen off of his chair in surprise, exclaimed. "You said that you would only be teaching us for one year!"

Moody smiled grimly. "Change of plans. After what happened last year, Headmaster Dumbledore thought it would be best if someone who had dealt with the dark arts before was at the school." As he was talking, both his normal and magical eye shifted to gaze at Harry for a moment, before turning back towards the rest of the class.

Harry felt a hot swoop of anger surge through him as Moody turned to glance at him, before looking at the class again. 

'He's here to look out for me especially. I know it. I bet all the teachers will have been told to keep an eye on me,' Harry thought angrily, before smirking slightly. 'It's not my fault Voldemort can't resist my charming good looks…" Moody's voice interrupted his chain of thought, as he began to talk. 

"These here, are faeries (A/N – pronounced 'fey-ries'). They a distant relation to the common fairy, and are often mistaken for them. In fact, they have become so confused with each other that most people, both magical and muggles, think they are one and the same. The faeries have their own language, unlike the fairies, who speak the common language of whatever area the come from. The ability to talk to the faeries is very rare, although not as rare as the ability to talk to snakes." As Moody said this his eyes again drifted towards Harry, who unconsciously raised a hand to pet Sebastian. "Helga Hufflepuff herself was one of the few who had the ability to talk to the faeries. Now, the faeries have many uses. They are generally mischievous but are not evil in any way. They do not usually take kindly to humans. However, if you can convince one of your good intent, they will try to help you in any way they can. Now, today we will simply be trying to communicate to them using hand gestures and gain their trust. Do not be too disappointed if they are wary of you. Let them come to you, and let them make the first move. Later in the term we will be learning exactly how they can help you defend yourself against the dark arts." When Moody had finished explaining the lesson to them, he released the faeries. The lights moved quickly out of the room, and headed towards the ceiling. They hovered there, twittering between themselves.

  
Harry was not watching the faeries. The rest of the class was staring at the ceiling, captivated, but Harry had a strange feeling that the faeries disliked being stared at like animals in a zoo.

'I know what that feels like, and I don't like it, so why should they enjoy it any more than I?' Harry thought. He idly began doodling a picture of the Whomping Willow on a piece of parchment he had removed from his bag at the start of the lesson. Suddenly he felt a tap on the side of his head, and a dark blue, almost black faerie drifted into view. It looked at the piece of parchment, made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle, then settled on the desk beside Harry's ink bottle. It giggled again, then pointed at the parchment, then to itself. It kept doing this, and Harry wondered what it wanted. Suddenly he had an idea. 

"Do you want me to draw you?" He asked it. The faerie tittered, then nodded excitedly. Harry shrugged, then picked up his quill and began to sketch it roughly. Ten minutes later he had finished a rough picture of it. He showed it to the happy little being, who began to dance about. Harry, who was quite amused by the little creature's antics, tore around the picture and offered it to the faerie. It took it, smiled brightly, then said two words very clearly.

"Thank you." 

"The pleasure was all mine," Harry answered, watching it fly up towards its counterparts, and laughed as it began to show them all the picture proudly. Harry was quite sure that it was bragging to them about it. He turned back to see what everyone else was doing. He supposed that some of them would have been approached by the faeries, simply because they seemed too happy and cheerful to be suspicious of everyone. However, this was not what he saw. The class was staring at him, agog, and not one of them had a faerie nearby. Harry swore in his mind, then asked the same question he had asked when he had found out he was famous. 'Why me?' He simply returned the stare until everyone averted their gaze, except for Moody, who continued to stare shrewdly at Harry.

Moody sat back slightly in the chair he had settled in, before straightening. 

'Constant Vigilance,' He reminded himself, and began to watch the students. He didn't really know why Dumbledore wanted him to teach them about faeries, it was extremely rare that they chose to trust a fully grown, powerful wizard let alone a bunch of young, irresponsible teenagers. He had just started to relax slightly when one of the faeries descended slowly. It hovered hesitantly for a moment, then headed towards Harry, and tapped him on the side of his head to get his attention. It settled on his desk and began to gesture. The boy seemed to understand what it wanted, and began to draw on the piece of parchment in front of him. The rest of the class had realised what was happening by now, and were all watching, fascinated. Harry ripped a piece of the parchment apart and handed it to the faerie, who said something, then returned to the ceiling with its prize. No one else saw Harry's lips move to shape words that were not English, words that were not even human. The boy, who seemed to have no idea what had just happened, turned to stare at the rest of the class until they turned away, before returning his gaze to the desk. Moody smiled grimly, and murmured two words under his breath.

"Constant Vigilance."

Ron and Hermione hurried towards Harry, who was hurrying out of the classroom.

"Excellent, Harry! That was amazing!" Ron exclaimed, thumping Harry on the back.

Harry mumbled something vaguely under his breath, before asking what their next lesson was. Ron pulled out his timetable, glanced at it and groaned. 

"What?" Harry asked apprehensively.

Ron looked up, despair in his eyes. "Double potions with Slytherin."

The three friends made it to class just in time. As soon as they were seated (in separate parts of the classroom because of the lack of room in the dungeon) and had gotten their parchment and ink out, Snape walked into the classroom. He looked like he was in an even fouler mood then usual, and Harry silently thanked whatever spirits watched over him for letting him be on time for once. 

"Today we are moving on to ancient potions. Hopefully some of you will do better in this then you did on the Japanese varieties," Snape glared around the room as he talked. His gaze fell on Neville for a moment, and he sneered, before continuing his lecture. "Today we will be attempting to make the Fortuna potion. This particular potion protects its user from weak curses and hexes. Now, I expect at least some of you to complete this potion using the correct formula. You will need shredded lizard skin, powdered beetle eyes, gillyweed…"

As Snape began to list the ingredients, the door to the dungeon creaked open and a familiar blonde, whale-sized boy waddled in. Harry groaned silently and sunk lower in his seat, praying that Dudley wouldn't notice him.

Snape stared at the muggle boy, and frowned. "I believe the Headmaster has specifically told you on numerous occasions not to wander around the castle unescorted and during class times!" To Snape's everlasting surprise, the boy did not show any sign of fear or awe at all. In fact, he scowled.

"I'm bored. There is nothing to do, and Mum just sits and reads. Besides, I want to see what Harry learns here." Dudley folded his arms across his chest, and scowled again. Snape was silently weighing up his options. He could either curse the boy, resulting in a warning from the Ministry, he could knock him out except that it would probably take two or three hits to succeed on a person of his magnitude, or he could let him sit down the back and watch the class. 

"If, and I mean it, if I let you sit down and observe the lesson, will you stay away from here from now on?" 

Dudley nodded eagerly, and lumbered down the rows. To Harry's horror he stopped beside the bench Harry was sitting on, and plopped himself down. The end Harry was on shot up, and he had to grab onto the table to prevent himself from sliding down closer to Dudley. The boy who was closest to Harry, another Gryffindor, was gazing at Dudley in disgust. Harry, trying his best to ignore Dudley, began to shred the lizard skin. He was silently counting under his breath. He didn't have to wait long. Dudley leaned over, squashing the other Gryffindor in the process.

"What're you doing?" He asked, looking at the lizard skin. 

"What does it look like I'm doing? Shredding lizard skin for this potion," Harry replied, frowning slightly. 

"Oh." 

There was silence for a few minutes, except for the sound of beetle eyes being ground up in a pestle and mortar. 

"Hey Harry?" Dudley grunted suddenly, leaning back towards him and narrowly missing the Gryffindor, who had anticipated Dudley's further questions and moved to another bench.

"What?" Harry ground out, trying desperately to concentrate on his potion and not the disgusting feeling of Dudley breathing all over him.

"Who is this You-Know-Who everyone's talking about?"

A dull roaring filled Harry's ears.

"Ask someone else," He managed to whisper in a deadly quiet voice. "Anyone but me."

Dudley shrugged, then did the worst thing he could have. He stood up and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Who is You-Know Who?"

Complete silence fell over the classroom (Oops, sorry. I'm Utter's clumsy cousin…). Snape glared at him, before glancing around the classroom. His eyes fell on Ron and Harry, and he sneered. 

"Perhaps we should have somebody explain to you…Weasley, you will take him to the Gryffindor Common Room, and give him an explanation," Ron's face paled in horror. 

'At least he didn't ask Harry to explain it. What would he say? You-Know-Who is the most powerful, evil wizard in the world, and killing me is first on his To Do list?' Ron thought as he packed up his cauldron.

"And Harry, you will go with them to make sure your cousin doesn't break anything, and to answer any questions he may have."

Harry didn't do anything. He simply stood, packed up his things, and walked out of the classroom, tossing a glare Snape's way as he walked out the door. Ron and Dudley followed him. A few corridors away from the Potions classroom, Harry stopped and pulled out his wand. He blew up and repaired all the tapestries he could reach, then continued towards the Gryffindor classroom. Ron glanced at Harry's face nervously. His eyes had darkened, and he was scowling. For some reason a feeling of deja vu echoed into Ron's mind, before disappearing.

"Would've liked to have done that to Snape," Harry muttered, and Ron agreed. Dudley followed at a distance, slightly bewildered by Harry's reaction. Eventually they reached the Gryffindor classroom, and, after whispering the password so that Dudley couldn't hear it and pulling him through, they settled themselves into the overstuffed armchairs. Ron glanced at Harry again. He now had a resigned and distant expression on his face, and was staring into the fire. Ron sighed and turned towards Dudley, who was watching them both quietly.

"So, you want to know who You-Know-Who is, do you?" 


	10. He doesn't know who VOLDEMORT is???

Okay, so here we are with the next chapter

Okay, so here we are with the next chapter! Now, I just realised that I haven't been thanking all my wonderful reviews! *gasps in shock* Aren't I awful! So, I'll do it now!

Crystal Music –My very first reviewer. Seriously, I posted the story and five minutes later I had a review. You should have seen me. I was babbling non-stop through sport, and all the way home. I actually babbled for five hours straight. And when I wasn't babbling (When Mum told me to sit down and shut up ~_~* she sounded like a teacher!), I was clicking my fingers or tapping my feet. I was so excited I couldn't sit still!

Min_1979 – This is my best friend in real life, as well as on the net. She's a trippy cool writer people, check her out!

Itari15 – Third reviewer, and my first who didn't have an account at ff.net. Cheers, Itari!

Hermione Gulliver – Did I email you? I can't remember…

blackskye – Well, I have written more. I'm about a sixth of the way through it, I believe, and sitting pretty at about 26 000 words. And I already have two sequels planned!

Kelzery – *LOL* I got a very enthusiastic response from you, didn't I? I have to admit, you are one of my most faithful and favoured reviews…

A Person – If you aren't I want a picture and an explanation of what you are…

Slayer282 – Hmmm…a Buffy or an Anime fan, I wonder?

Dru – More. I have given you more.

Pumpkin Hatching – Ah yes, the first few chapters were a little cliched, but I needed to have them like that to make it a not-so-cliched story. I hope, anyway…

~*Dumbledore's True Love*~ – Nuppers. Harry hasn't been shot. Maybe someone will have an attempt on their life soon though…*hint hint*

Sandrine Black – You did more than five !'s! That mean's you're insane! IF you don't understand, read Terry Pratchett. He's one of my favourite authors…

Katana – As in a sword? Like the name, anyhoo. I did continue though, and as I said before, two sequels planned.

Unknown – Really? Was it a great start? You see, I was at home being very sickly-like when I got the idea and started writing it. I guess I had a good feeling about it, but I didn't think it was particularly special…

Grimfoot – Thank you! I try…

Tazy Silverpen – I'm trying, though I might not be succeeding…

Sunny – Wow. I got a 'wow' people! YAY!

vmr – What do the letters stand for? It's been bugging me like crazy!

jessica potter – *LOL* vmr wrote something along those lines just before you…

A Girl Who Knows – Well, a Wizard did pop up and save Harry, but I guess it wasn't who you expected, was it? I don't like cliches…BTW, what exactly is it that you know? I can't help wondering. 

Katy D *in spirit*and Angelface – Did you make it okay? Believe it or not, a lot of us are worried about you…

Mayleesa – First review for chapter two! I rather liked that one myself…

Agent X – Now if I finished it as soon as possible, you wouldn't be able to read any more, would you? Plus I wouldn't get any more reviews, so where's the fun in that?

julie – I ain't JK, deary. I'm actually a very cynical, sarcastic fourteen year old girl who wears glasses and has hair that would rival Hermione's. I'm glad you liked the speech. I personally just wanted to give Snape a bit of a shock. Plus it'll be important later on…

Lizzy/Tyrgrestick – Laugh all you want, my friend. How's the page going?

Lishel Fracrium – Yeah for Snape! I like Snape. He's just too fun to annoy…

Sweets – Sirius is away on official business for Dumbledore, and Hedwig is locked up in the room with Harry. Did I forget to mention that Vernon boarded up the window?

vmr – Very quick off the mark, weren't you? I sometimes wonder exactly how you people know when I update. I mean, you can't have your email boxes open all the time…

Kelzery – There's going to be a bit of a twist with Snape in this one. I bet you can't guess it…

~*Dumbledore's True Love*~ – Urgh. Do you know how hard it is to type your name? Oh yes, Sirius will have some fun with the Dursley's later, don't worry….

Aurora – Crying with laughter? I haven't ever actually seen someone cry with laughter, not yet anyway…And don't worry, I'm either hyper or angry. Those are my two prominent moods. Right now I'm pissed cause that my brother has been going through my room and stolen my gameboy again cause that he threw his and broke it. I could go and do a Sarah, from Labyrinth – 'I hate you, I hate you!' Eh, too tired to 

though…

Sandrine Black – I managed to get the computer to let me update at home! I still have to post new stories from school though…*sob* BTW, if any of you have AOL, do you have problems with ff.net too, or is it just me??

CarolPotter – I continued, I continued!

Crystal Music – I still wanna beta-read for you, if you're still interested. You haven't replied to my last few emails though. Are you okay??

Itari15 – Yes, I would think that would be a good enough reason. ~_~* You'll be finding out soon enough what is going to happen to Dudley and Petunia…

Katy D *in spirit*and Angelface – Yeppers, Sevy saved him. Don't you think that the guy playing him in the movie is just too cool? He's trippy!

Lena – Twisted mind? If yours is twisted, mine is shattered *starts singing* Shattered like a broken mirror, shards of glass lying on the floor…*looks faintly embarrassed* Excuse the singing, don't know where it came from…or the words either, for that matter…

Cosmos12 – Mmmm…you might be right. I think I'm going to have to change the genre, and maybe the rating as well, at least in the sequel. There'll be a lot of violence in that one…

Cosmos12 - *frowns* You weren't supposed to laugh! *LOL* Yes you were. Two reviews in a row! *whistles*

Lucky Woods – Crazy? He's the greatest Wizard in the world! But he is slightly crazy, yes…Is that what Percy said? Something along those lines…

Jinskid – THERE IS MORE MORE MORE!!!

Em - *looks guilty* Wait until my sister posts her story…you'll look back on this one and curse me for my lack of talent…

Anika of Prague – Interesting name. I think that would be my reaction, actually. Or else I'd just kinda curl up in a corner and tell the 'hallucinations' to go away….Imagine what Snape's response would have been if Harry did that!

rachel - *Trys to look proud but fails cause that she currently is still in her PJ's and has a towel wrapped around her head, turban-style* Thank you!

Val – I don't really believe in fortune-telling either, but I'm going to try to do something a little different than the old tea-leaves in a cup and crystal ball thing when I get up to it…

Inscriffany – Oooh! Oooh! A famous author reviewed! Yay!

Min_1979 – Badliness for Harry? Yes indeedy. And more to come, I believe…*looks at story plan* Yep. More badliness for Harry is definitely slotted in there at some point…Or several…

vmr - *looks at you suspiciously* You have that comment of Copy/Paste, don't you??!!??

Katy D *in spirit*and Angelface – Ah, he ain't going to die. Just get in heaps of trouble with the wizarding world in general…

Julianna Edwards – Ooh! I'm on a favourite list! Trippy!

Kelzery - *mystical voice* All shalt be revealed in time, my child…Not literally of course, since I'm only fourteen, and ain't interested in boys anyway…Annoying creatures, in my opinion…

Inscriffany – Incredible? Hardly, my dear.

Lena – In fact I have written up to chapter eighteen, and am starting chapter nineteen after I post chapter ten. Have you seen the shirts? I'm gonna get both!

Sweets – What will happen to Harry when school is over? I think that is decided in the fifteenth or sixteenth chapter…

Em – Almost everyone hates waiting, dear child, but we must put up with it. Tell you what – if you promise to review for both of them, I'll post two chapters this week instead of one, okay?

Berkeley Halperin – Harry's better, but I don't like cherries. How about Snape on top? And yes, I'm being grotty. Don't kill me!

Person – Thank you!

blackskye – Thank you! *nods*

Sandrine Black - You're insane too! Join the club! I am the anthropomorphic personification of insanity, with one of Death's eyes and five of Evil's toenails…

Pleiades – YAY!! ANOTHER FAMOUS AUTHOR AND MY ROLE MODEL ON FF.NET!!!

Pleiades – Many reviews? Not compared to yours!

Pleiades – Aww, ain't she sweet people, reviewing all the chapters? Thanks for choosing to beta-read for me! 

Lizzy/Tygrestick – You get brownie points for using the word 'thrice', and I kept my promise!

Cosmos – The same as Cosmos12, or not? It ain't that suspenseful… 

Starkitty – Thankyou!

Nori Chan – I keep trying to contact you on ICQ, but it won't let me! *pouts* Do you have MSN Messenger? Email me, okay?

Daphna (~¤˝G®eeND@yGi®l˝¤~) – Thanks for reviewing! And c/c! OMG!

Lone Wolf – Guess what, guess what, guess what? Next time you're online I'll tell you!

Person – Cool? Is it? *Checks the thermometer* It's actually about twenty-five degrees Celsius, right now, anyway…

Jinskid3 – Exciting? I hope that it is…I'm trying to make it so, anyway…

Jsnell – Thankyou, my friend! Haven't seen you online for a while!

Jessica Black – What happens next? *checks plan* …Stuff!

Malfoy's Best Friend – I am!

rachel – Yes, poor Harry indeed. And a lot more will happen soon…in chapters eleven and twelve stuff happens, I believe…

Miss Drew – I think the ruddy Uncle would say that Harry ruined _his_ life, but I'm agreeing with you.

BaronVonChickenPants – I ain't pissed with you any more, so contact away!

Em - *starts typing really, really fast and screws up all the words* Eh heh…sorry, can't go any faster than fifty-six words a minute…(my current record)

Nagh – Yay! I haven't seen you online for a while either!

FireSorceress – I think only the extremely cold-hearted wouldn't feel sorry for Harry, kiddo.

Lucky Woods – I'm glad you like it!

A Person – Ah yes…my little creation…you'll find out who they are in chapter eighteen…

Sweets – Can't wait or don't want to wait?

vmr – Thankyou!

Berkeley Halperin – But isn't he just so cute when he's insane? Besides, I'm insane, so he has to catch at least a little of it!

Lord of the Net – Thanks! He doesn't exactly give himself up though, cause that he doesn't die for them, but I know what you mean.

Lord of the Net – Trust me, with Snape looking as angry as he was, you automatically think 'What have I done wrong?'

Katy D *in spirit*and Angelface – It's up!

Em – I can't write long chapters. I tend to ramble. ~_~* Yes, you should like this chapter, I think…

Lizzy/Tygrestick – Thankyou! I try to keep them in character, but I don't think I'm actually doing too well…

rachel – I'll keep writing, don't worry!

Kat – Haven't you ever wondered what caused that?

Someone2 and Krazy Kris – A lot of people liked that Society. Maybe I should write about their adventures some time…

Jinskd3 – The best? *lol* I doubt it. Read some of Pleiades or Bliss or Rufus or Inscriffany or Just Silver, and then you'll see what the best is…

Al – Oooh! *rubs hands* Some c/c! I know it's a little choppy and stuff, but you have to remember that this is my first fic, and I had writers block when I was doing this chapter too…to tell the truth I wasn't very happy with it, but I couldn't think of a way to make it better…

amadeus – thankyou!

Lena – A conscience? I don't know, never had a use for one…BTW, I don't need the book, I have Melvin!

A Girl Who Knows – Thanks! I actually planned this one, since it was going to be a long thingo, booky, fanfiction thing. I usually don't, but I found it makes it so much easier when you have writers block!

Pleiades – I try to get them up at about one a week. And of course I know who you are! Who wouldn't??

Lone Wolf – Sadly, Vernon is a muggle, and therefore cannot be punished like a wizard…DAMN!!

Alb@ - Yes I get it! The SSSCAO, it is…

~*Lily Potter*~ – A world record?? Maybe…

Jedi Cosmos – He's better!

Nagh – Best chapter? I doubt it!

blackskye – I have written more!

Nori – Two seaweeds up! Thankyou!

Jessica Black – Possibly, but it will be important.

Coqui – I'm glad you enjoyed the last sentence, I did too!

Min_1979 – Ah, but if I didn't go to school I wouldn't be able to see you and the rest of the gang, would I?

Zenya – Okay, Harry gets over this though…

SEEKER_2000 – Author Alert? I'm on author alert?? YAY!

Jsnell – Greatest fanfic? Hardly, m'dear…

Kelzery – I know it's a little disturbing in the midst of all the badly-like stuff, but I just had to include them somewhere!

ckdsweet – Rules what? Oh dear…I feel a quote from 'Labyrinth' coming on…

'And Hoggle? If she kisses you, I'll turn you into a prince."

'Yeh…yeh will?'

'Prince of the Land of Stench! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha….'

~_~* Sorry, just had to do that.

ckdsweet – Read above!

KateMarie – Genius? Well, I took and IQ test and got 178, which is apparently high genius. I think that's pretty screwed though…

SEEKER_2000 – Oooh! Someone who can spell amnesia properly! The majority of people in my grade at my school can't spell it. Isn't that sad?

Alb@ - I'm trying that now, Alb@

Lucky Woods – I'm glad you like it, and I'm hurrying!

Creamy Mimi – Contacts? I wouldn't ever be able to wear contacts…*shivers* I'm going to get the lens' of my eyes shaved when I'm older though, I think…

Min_1979 – She can count to three?? WOW!! Smart little girl, she is…

Inscriffany – I's has it on my fav's list!

AjaKe – Interesting? I'm trying to make it so…

Nykto – Your manners are fine, dear child, so there is no reason to apologise.

amadues – Your curses are almost as good as mine! 

vmr – Thankyou!

Lizzy/Tygrestick – I'm glad you like it. This is turning out to be a very long list…

Berkeley Halperin – Worth the wait? Is it? Thanks!

Ruka-chan – None of your business! *LOL* Just joking! Read on, and you will see!

Lena – Oh yes, Snape is very fun to play around with! *Yells* Min! I know you're going to take that in a grotty way!!

Errol – Nice? I hope it is!

Jedi Cosmos – He doesn't really have any real grasp of people's personalities, so he isn't really intimidated by Severus right now.

Lone Wolf – All the teachers were students once too!

Gia – Best story you've ever read? Liar!

No Reply – I'm glad it does!

Nagh – Thankyou!

Neona ^.^`;;-,` - Thankyou! I have a sneaking suspicion that I don't really have a sense of humour, so it's reassuring to know that other people think I do!

Darth Yoda – Yeppers, he gets his memory back soon, don't worry.

Sweets – Slytherin? Harry? Never!

Selene110 – More? Certainly!

O-Bake – Nothing compared to yours!

rachel – Thankyou!

Em – Writers block is a royal pain in the ass.

Desert Hacker – Please? You have good manners!

Amy – awesome? Hardly!

pheonixangel – Oooh yes! A fan of both Matrix and Card Captor Sakura! Nice story so far, btw!

Red_Rosettes – Have!

Coqui – Nope, Will ain't a person. Sorry! The story reminds you of it? Thank you! I haven't read it, but if it's your highest compliment, it must be good!

Min_1979 – I WASN'T IN THE T.O.M!!

Rufus – Thankyou! yet another famous author!

Alchemy - *LOL* I like your name. have you read any Terry Pratchett? If you have, you'll know why!

Kara Star – I'll keep it up, I promise!

Penpen – Ah, little brothers…so lazy!

Penpen – Read above, Otooto-baka!

Gia – Thankyou!

Lone Wolf – He's cured!

vmr – Thankyou!

Lena – Oooh, yes! Sebastian! I rather like that little secosnake!

Person – Have!

SEEKER_2000 – Yeppers, will do!

Lizzy/Tygrestick – Of course she has a cure! Are you doubting her abilities too?!?!

Hyperactive_Wabit – Have!

No Reply - =)

Creamy Mimi – Confusion? I think that's out of Fire and Ice, isn't it?

Satoshi a.k.a. Heero Yuyz – Will!

Sandrine Black – I will, or attempt to, anyway…~_~*

Berkeley Halperin – No, I didn't. That'll happen in a flashback doovy-whacker!

Desert Hacker – Yes, okay!

amadeus – Sometimes, depending on his mood. All heads have more volume, obviously, so when he's angry or peeved all the heads hiss, if not it's just a couple.

Zenya – I update about once a week.

Lucky Woods – I will!

Sophie – Good? Me? Hardly!

Cristene – Yep!

rachel – Is it? Thankyou!

Em – Maybe, but they'll be important later!

Kelzery – Yes, all better now!

Jedi Cosmos – I've written more, never fear!

magma – Thankyou! *bows*

Coqui – I think its pretty good, considering the fact that poor ickle me is still in school and has homework and assignments right now since it's end of term…

blackskye – Onions are nice!

Nicole – Harry's snake has a name now!

Ranma – I'll try!

Jedi Cosmos – I have several, but I'm always willing to have more! You can never have too many beta-readers, at least in my case…

Pleiades – Matrix is good, very good…especially since I'm an Aussie!

Alchemy – I have, and I will!

Sweets – Yes, he does. Naughty Harry, not remembering his friends!

Bon – Is it?

Avalon Princess – Okay, here it is!

Lily KittyKat712 – Have!

Miss Drew – Nuppers, it doesn't. Interesting idea though…hmmm…

Lishel Fracrium – Aww, okies. Only since you asked real nice though!

Sailor Starly – That's what I plan to do!

Gia – I have!

Lena – Chapter nineteen now! I have a sneaking suspicion that if I didn't put myself down my ego wouldn't fit in the country!

Bon – Slightly, yes. At least I hope so!

- No name, eh? It's not neat at all, you know. Rather messy, actually. You should see my planning book!

Em – Malfoy will appear more later, never fear!

Bay Area Ryoga – Thankyou! Yes, when you're in the mood a good, dark story is great for your health!

Desert Hacker – So many people are asking the same question! I've got more up!

vmr – Thankyou!

Rufus - ~_~* I'm still embarrassed… Oh well…

SEEKER_2000 – My brother acts like a toddler all the time and he never stamps his foot, unless it's on someone else's. I wasn't much of a foot-stamper myself, either…

SarWolf Snape – More? Here you are!

jules_rox – I've done more. I disagree though. I'm sure Harry has plenty of galleons in his bank account…

Nadia Rose – Is it? Cool!

Kylana – I will!

Darth Yoda – YAY!! ANOTHER AUSSIE!! I'll try! Except I have to go to the footy finals…*starts mumbling to self* Just think Manga shop, just think Manga shop…

Kelzery – I don't mind at all! I write the story for me, the reviews are just a bonus. ~_~*

Rufus – Thanks! You're story is really good, btw!

Min_1979 – Thankyou!

MORE POST MORE – Umm…okay?

SEEKER_2000 – GOT MORE NOW!!

Lena – Thankyou! I decided to stick him by himself though, cause that, what with the way he is now, it would be too OOC.

Jedi Cosmos – Oooh! Email me! Please?

vmr – Thankyou!

Jack Knife – Oooh yes, I liked that line too!

Desiree – Have, and will!

Gia – I try to!

Em – Okies…thanks for the ideas and long review! You're one of my most faithful reviewers, you know that?

starkitty – I'm not telling! You'll have to wait and see!

Lin-z – I will!

centaurderoma – I will!

Nytewolf - Yay! I love it when people put my story on their fav. list!

swardlaw – Thankyou! I think I just tend to write the things that I wouldn't usually say for fear of insulting someone, so thanks!

Lily gurl @--- – Thankyou!

Lily gurl @--- - Read above!

Lucky Woods - I will, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

summersun – THANKYOU!!

Galadriel – Thank you so much! I'm actually half-way happy with this story, which is a record for me…~_~*

Dumbledore123 – I will, and I'm glad you do!

Star Dust – Thankyou, and I will!

Creamy Mimi – It's a line from a James Bond movie, I believe. I have a thing with Anthropomorphic Personifications. I mean, I own Death. Is that insane or what?

Inscriffany – Yeah, I'm trying to have a few light chapters amidst the dark ones, because I find that if I read something that is too serious for too long it starts to bore me. ~_~* I hope I'm not boring you…

Coqui – I like the original story, but not the movie. I don't like that fact that they changed it to make it suitable for children.

Pleiades – Draco and Harry are cute, yes, but I'm trying to keep this PG-13. Tell you what: After I've finished this series, I'll have a go at writing a short slash, okay?

Bon – I think that's the largest review you've written me! Thanks!

dawn – Thankyou! A lot of HP fans find that recapping the story is annoying, but I'm trying to up my skills as a writer and recapping is important sometimes, plus I'm trying to make this story good for everyone, not just HP fans.

Sandra Slaria Dees – Not as demanding as me, I'm sure. ~_~*

SEEKER_2000 – Thankyou!

Rogue15 – Oh, it will be. Yes, he used his wand. He wasn't having a surge, and all the times he's used magic without a wand was when he was having a surge or in trouble.

Lin-z – Same here. Don't worry, he's fine!

Lena – Yes, poor Ron!

vmr – Thankyou!

Creamy Mimi – Yep!

Gia – Okay!

Erin Finnlaith – I WILL!! I WILL!!

Oceana – Okies!

Ruka-chan – So do I! ~_~*

Kristen of Mistallia – Thankyou!

Jinskid3 – I will, and I'm glad you like it!

Lucky Woods – Yeah, I know!

QtPie079 – Thank you!

Bon – I will!

Sandra Solaria Dees – He will, trust me. Heh heh…

herm – Will!

Coqui – Strange days…have found me…*LOL*

Lilly Potter – You'll see!

No Reply – Yes!

Kitty c – Okay!

summersun – He and Petunia are currently at Hogwarts.

So there you are! All nice and thanked!

**__**

Disclaimer- The goods ain't mine. Comprende? Characters and worlds etc, etc are all the brainchild or JK Rowling, and as such are © to her.

**__**

Chapter Ten

"You-Know-Who," Ron began slowly, "Is the most powerful, evil wizard in the world. He first began to take over the world more than a decade ago. He killed wizards and muggles alike, when something happened to stop him in his tracks."

"What happened?" Dudley asked, fascinated.

Harry snorted before saying, "Me. I happened."

"What? What do you mean?"

Harry turned to face Dudley, leaning forward so that Dudley could here his quiet voice. The flickering flames from the fire cast shadows over Harry's face, creating an eerie and menacing effect.

"Fourteen years ago, on the night of Halloween, Voldemort—that is the real name of You-Know-Who—came to my parents' house. My parents had used the Fidelius Charm, which seals a secret deep within a Wizard's soul so that cannot be revealed unless the Wizard used tells it to someone, to hide their whereabouts. Pettigrew, their so-called friend and secret keeper, told Voldemort where they were. He killed my father, then my mother when she wouldn't hand me over to him. Her sacrifice protected me from the curse, and reflected it back onto him, leaving me with this scar—" Harry pushed up his fringe at this point, "—on my forehead. He fled, barely alive, and I became the Boy Who Lived. Last year during the Triwizard tournament, he used the remains of his father, the flesh of Pettigrew, and my blood to return."

Dudley and Ron had both been getting paler as Harry spoke, though for different reasons.

"Don't—say—his—name!" Ron hissed, glancing about nervously. Dudley, however, had other things on his mind.

"You, you're lying! You're parents were killed in a car crash!" 

Harry sat back, an amused smile on his face. "If you believe that, you are even more stupid than I thought. Voldemort is back."

A sly smile touched Harry's lips for a moment. "You know, you're probably in danger too. I mean, I'm top on Voldemort's hit list, and you're related to me. If he knew that..." Harry shook his head. Dudley's mouth was hanging open, and he suddenly stood up and ran towards the exit. He somehow managed to pull himself through the opening, and charged off down the corridor, yelling 'I don't know Harry Potter!' to the amusement of several people on their way to their next class. Harry sat back, a smug look on his face.

"Well, that got rid of him," He commented.

Ron snorted. "It certainly did!" 

Harry stood up, and brushed off his robes, before walking out of the common room. 

"Hey, where are you going?" Ron yelled after him.

"Back to Potions. We have OWLs this year, and I don't want to give Snape any more reason to fail me than necessary," Harry tossed over his shoulder. Ron shook his head incredulously.

'He sounds like Hermione,' He thought to himself, before growing serious (Can't you just imagine Sirius going 'How can you grow to be me?'). 'He looked like someone else, just for a moment. I just can't place who...' He shrugged, and followed Harry out of the room.

The two boys knocked on the door of the Potions room, before entering and heading to their places as quietly as possible. Snape sneered at them for a moment, before turning back to the class. It wasn't long before Neville gave a cry of despair as his cauldron began to melt. Snape turned around and bellowed 'Five points from Gryffindor!' before telling Neville, who was bright red with embarrassment, to clean up the mess. Harry groaned. This was going to be one long lesson…

Ron groaned. "I can't believe him! Sixty points from Gryffindor in one lesson! It makes me wonder exactly how far that man has a stick shoved up his-"

"What do we have next?" Hermione asked Ron quickly, hoping to distract him from his rant. She succeeded. He rummaged through his bag for a moment, before pulling out his schedule triumphantly. 

"Let's see…. Today is Thursday…Care of Magical Creatures! That means we get to see Hagrid. I bet he's really anxious to see you, Harry!"

The trio trooped towards Hagrid's hut, discussing what manner of weird and most probably dangerous creatures Hagrid would be teaching them about. They soon found that the rest of the Gryffindors had not yet made it to class, and the only other ones there were Malfoy and his two cronies. 

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here. Mudblood, Potty and Weasel," Malfoy sneered. Crabbe and Goyle snickered behind him, as Ron turned red. Hermione grabbed hold of him as he launched himself at Malfoy, and Harry stared at Malfoy coldly.

"Shut up, Ferret. At least we don't have to pay people to pretend to be our friends, unlike some," Harry retorted. Malfoy spluttered as the group walked past him to greet Hagrid, who had just emerged from his cabin. The majority of the class had arrived, and the lesson soon started.

"Now, our subjects for the next few lessons haven't arrived yet…Wait a minute! Here they are!" Hagrid cried happily. The class turned, and Harry gasped. The faeries that they had been learning about were flying towards them, small trails of magic left in their wake. 

"_This_ is what we're learning about? _Fairies_?" Malfoy asked, disbelief and slight anger etched in his face. Hagrid frowned at him.

"Not fairies, _fae_ries. They don' like bein' mistaken for their cousins," Hagrid told him, as the dark blue faerie that had approached Harry glared at Malfoy. It poked its tongue out at Draco before whizzing past, almost knocking him over. He turned around and opened his mouth angrily to yell at it, but no sound came out. He turned towards Hagrid who was grinning widely, with a scowl.

"That's jus' one of the abilities faeries have. Now, Professor Moody an' I have decided that since we are both teachin' yeh about faeries, that we would pair each of you off with one. Yeh'll be takin' care of 'em for the next few weeks, so you'd better treat them well. Now, you won't be pickin' which one you get, they'll be choosing yeh, so jus' sit down an' wait for one to approach yeh."

The class settled themselves onto the cool grass, and began to chatter quietly amongst themselves. Harry was almost immediately approached by the faerie he had drawn the picture for in Defence Against Dark Arts. It settled on his head for a moment, before floating down in front of him. It studied Harry for a moment, before lifting the glasses of his nose and flying off with them.

"Hey!" He cried, reaching out in an attempt to catch it. His blurred vision prevented him from being able to see it properly however, and it slipped out of his grasp. Grinning, Harry took off after it. The faerie promptly flew up above his head, just high enough for him not to be able to reach it. Harry grinned again, and pulled out his wand.

"Accio glasses!" He cried, and the black-rimmed frames zoomed towards him. Harry deftly caught them and placed them back on his nose. The faerie pouted for a moment, before giggling again and returning to its former position on his head. 

By the end of the lesson almost all of the class had a faerie hovering about them. The last few little beings fluttered towards their chosen partners, some slightly reluctantly.

"Now, each faerie will respond to its partner in a different way. You have to be very polite to them, otherwise they'll get upset. Now, off yeh go, and remember everything I said," Hagrid told them, as he ushered the group towards the castle.

"Great ta see yeh all righ' Harry. Why don' yeh come down ta visit me this weekend?" Hagrid muttered to him as he passed. Harry grinned at the towering man for a moment.

"That'd be great, Hagrid, thanks!" He replied, before following Ron and Hermione up to the school. 

"Look's like that faerie's really taken to you, Harry," Hermione said as he approached. A pastel yellow faerie was by her side, and a brilliant red one followed Ron. Harry shrugged as the small creature on his head giggled.

"It's not my fault I'm so irresistible," He said, before bolting ahead of the group as Hermione tried to hit him.

"Race you!" He cried, before running away from the group. He heard Ron and Hermione shouting for him to wait up, and laughed. The faerie on his head held onto his hair tightly as he sprinted towards Hogwarts. Yet somewhere in the back of his mind he could not shake the feeling that something was wrong, and he winced as the slightest tinge of pain echoed through his scar.

Well, that's it! The list of thankyou's is longer then the actual chapter…~_~*

BTW – I have a Yahoo Group, and a list at Topica! The addresses are

[www.topica.com/lists/bentoobaka][1]

and

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/innlefarseeker][2]

Please join them, okay?

Thanks! 

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you about my reaccuring dream. I keep dreaming that I am a dragon on a pile of gold and treasure. Hmmmm. I wonder what the cause of that is… J 

I just thought of something else. The idea of this story is © to me.

   [1]: http://www.topica.com/lists/bentoobaka
   [2]: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/innlefarseeker



	11. Of Quidditch and other events

Hi people

Hi people! Yet another chapter, and I'll hopefully reach the 300 review mark with this one. Speaking of reviews, I think that was what my dream was about. The dragon was me, and the reviews were the gold…~_~* Okay, I'm a hog. I admit it. This chapter is slightly darker, and the next one is darker yet. I won't be able to update for approximately two weeks after this one because of the family holiday, but I'll try to get another chapter up before we leave to make up for it. BTW, is anyone else not able to view the book category selection page, or any of the others? I think it might be because of AOL, but it doesn't work on the school computers either, which spells out bad news for me. BTW, I'd just like to say to anyone in America that I'm real sorry about what happened, and I hope the bastards who did it get what they deserve.

**__**

Chapter Eleven

"Wow, do you think I would qualify?"

"Who do you think will get the position?"

The crowd outside the Gryffindor Common Room muttered excitedly around the piece of parchment stuck on the wall. Harry, Ron and Hermione, who had just finished Care of Magical Creatures glanced at each other, then pushed through the crowd, their faeries following slowly. Harry was the first to reach the parchment.

"As many of you are aware, we will be needing two new players on our quidditch team…blah, blah, blah…Tryouts are tomorrow evening…more useless information…The new Captain for the Gryffindor Quidditch team will also be selected as well as a new commentator, as Lee Jordan will not be able to fulfil his duties this year," Harry read.

"Lee's mother isn't going to let him commentate this year because of the amount of letters she received from Hogwarts about him last year."

Fred and George had come up behind him, and were looking at the announcement.

"Hey Ron, are you going to try out for keeper?" Fred asked. Oliver Wood had graduated from Hogwarts two years ago, leaving the position of Keeper vacant.

"No, I don't think I will," He said. Everyone looked at him in surprise. It wasn't like Ron to turn down a chance like that.

"I think I might try out for commentator instead," He explained. Fred and George shrugged, before heading into the Common Room. Harry understood though. Ron had always felt overshadowed by his brothers, and if he managed to get on the team it wouldn't be that big a deal, because Fred and George were already on it. No one in his family had been a commentator yet though, and Ron probably felt that it was something that his parents would be proud of.

Harry jerked awake as he felt a tugging on his hair. The faerie that had chosen him as its partner drifted into view. He looked around, and realised that it was the middle of the lesson. It was History of Magic, and Professor Binns was droning on about some kind of war between the Leprechauns and Veela. Harry remembered the Quidditch World Cup, and realised that there had not just been animosity between rival countries, but species as well. 

"―The battle of Westerbridge is unique in the fact that both armies met in the middle of a field whilst on their way to ambush the other party―"

Harry listened to what Binns had to say for a moment, before zoning out again. 

As soon as he started drifting off to sleep however, the faerie tapped him on the side of his head. He groaned quietly, and turned to it as Sebastian, who was wrapped around his arm as usual hissed vaguely. Four of his seven heads had been dozing, and were not very happy at being woken.

"Can't you let me and Sebastian get a little sleep?" Harry pleaded. The faerie giggled and shook its head, before landing on his ear.

"Well then, we'd better think of a name for you, hadn't we? I can't just keep calling you 'faerie'…" The little being nodded enthusiastically, before settling itself beside his quill on the desk.

"So, what kind of name do you want?" Harry asked it. He really had no idea how they were going to go about this since he couldn't understand the language they spoke in.

The pint-sized being frowned slightly then held her hands as wide apart as she could.

"You want a long name?" Harry guessed, then smiled as the faerie nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, how about Serenity, Arabella or Claudia?" The faerie shook its head, frowning again, then more violently as Sebastian made a few suggestions. Apparently the Faerie could understand Parselmouth, although Sebastian couldn't understand its speech. Harry sighed. Another snippet of Professor Binns' lecture caught his attention.

"―And the leader of the Veela, named Echo, was celebrated as a hero for years to come―"

Harry, tuning out Binns' droning voice, turned back to his little friend to find her jumping about excitedly.

"What?" He asked confusedly. The faerie rolled its eyes before pointing at the ghostly Professor, then at itself.

"Did Professor Binns say something you'd like as a name?" Harry asked it, and watched amusedly as it began to jump around on the desk.

"Umm…Leader? Veela? Hero?" Harry guessed, then frowned as it began to shake its head quickly. He thought for a moment.

"Echo? Is that it?" The faerie nodded, before holding its hands apart again.

"A longer form of echo? A word that starts with echo?" The faerie nodded at the second question, and danced about impatiently as Harry frowned.

"Echo, echolocation, echolalia?"

The faerie shook its head at the first two, then began nodding vigorously as he said the third.

"Okay, Echolalia it is. Now, are you…um…a girl or boy?"

The faerie began to do an extremely hilarious imitation of a girl fluttering her eyelashes and blowing kisses. Harry laughed.

"Okay, you're a girl. Now that we've got that sorted, I suppose we should start to at least pretend to pay attention to Professor Binns…"

Harry sat through the rest of the lesson waiting impatiently for Binns to dismiss them. The same sensation of unease he had felt the day before caught him in its grip again for a moment, and the slightest sliver of pain ran through his scar.

"Settle down students!" Professor McGonagall's voice echoed through the still evening air. The students who had been chattering and flying about, practising for the try-outs quietened immediately and headed over to where the Professor was standing.

"Alright. Those of you who are trying out for the Keeper position go stand over by the hoops, and those of you going for Chaser stay here. Those of you who wish to be Commentator, head over to the stands." As Professor McGonagall spoke, people headed off in the direction she had pointed, carrying their brooms with them. 

"Now, firstly I would like to see your skill at catching the Quaffle. Alicia and Katie will try to stop you from scoring, while you try to make it down the field and score. You'll be working in pairs at first, before trying individually."

The students trying out for Chaser nodded, before pairing up and heading out onto the pitch. McGonagall watched as each duo worked their way up the field, and occasionally made notes onto a piece of parchment she had brought with her. Soon all of the students had been dismissed apart from a sixth year girl called Trys Calibane, and Colin Creevey. Soon Trys had also been dismissed, and Colin was welcomed into the team as the new Chaser. Harry was not sure whether to be happy that they had found, surprisingly, an extremely good Chaser, or to be upset that he would now have to spend all his training sessions being gawped at. Soon after a new keeper, Neville Longbottom had also been selected. The majority of the other students were extremely shocked at the outcome, but Harry was not. He had seen Neville training the night before.

"I must go and test the students trying for commentator now. I trust that I can leave you alone to choose a captain without having to come back to break up fights and such?" McGonagall asked. The question was directed mainly towards Fred and George who grinned at her, albeit a tad sheepishly, and nodded. The rest of the team nodded as well, and watched as the professor headed off towards the stands.

"Well…I don't think it should be Fred or I," George said. He shook his head as the others started to protest, and held up a hand. "No, listen. We'll just leave next year, and you'll have to select another captain." The protests died, and Alicia and Katie nodded.

"I guess the same goes for me and Alicia then," Katie said. Alicia agreed, before turning towards Harry, Colin and Neville.

"No offence to you two, but you haven't had any experience on the team yet, so it would be pretty foolish to make either of you captain," Alicia said. Neville nodded fervently.

Harry could understand why Neville was so pleased not to be nominated captain. It would be awful, to have all that pressure put onto you all at once. 

'So, Katie, Alicia, Fred and George aren't going to be the captain…and we've just ruled out Neville and Colin, so that leaves…oh _no_!'

He turned towards the others to find them all looking expectantly at him.

"Oh no. No way am _I_ going to be captain. I'm not experienced enough. There is no way…uh-uh…" Harry backed away from them all slowly, shaking his head.

"Harry, it's the logical choice. Neville and Colin can't captain without any experience, and even if one of us became captain, you'd just have to select another next year, and it would most probably be you," Katie pointed out reasonably. Harry looked at them all for a moment, then sighed.

"Fine. I'll be captain. I'm warning you though," Harry said, beginning to grin devilishly, "I'm going to work you harder then Oliver ever did."

As Harry finished his sentence, a jolt of pain stabbed through his scar. He gasped and clapped a hand over it, before sinking to the ground as the pain began to wash over him in waves. As he fell to the ground, a screaming voice began to echo in his ears, and his vision blurred, before clearing to reveal something out of a nightmare.

__

Harry was in a dark room, lit only by a candle as all the lanterns on the walls were shattered. A woman was cowering in a corner beside a man's body. She was crying, and Harry realised that the man was dead. A dark figure stood over the body and woman, cackling madly.

"Don't you dare, you monster! Don't come any closer or I'll―" A high, feminine voice screamed, before being cut off by two words.

"Avada Kedavra," A high voice drawled. 

Harry tried to look away as the green light flashed from the figure's wand, but found that he could not move. 

'It's Voldemort,' He realised, fear and horror sweeping through him. As this occurred to him, Voldemort began to speak again.

"Such a pity really. I wish that Potter could have been here to see this. Oh well. He'll know, as soon as poor, **poor** little Colin Creevey receives this," Voldemort cackled, holding a letter close to the candle. Recognition filled Harry, as his vision began to blur again, and the sound faded from his ears.

Harry opened his eyes slowly, and blurred figures slowly came into focus. There was one particular figure that stood out, and as the memories came rushing back, he closed his eyes in an attempt to block them from his mind. He could not stop them from coming however, and he opened despairing eyes to focus on the figure again.

"I'm sorry, Colin," He whispered, before slipping gratefully into darkness.

So there we are! I personally hated the name choosing bit, but my brother liked it so I kept it for him. Blame him, not me! 

And remember to join my groups. Please, they aren't just about my fanfic or HP fanfics, they're just about fanfics in general.

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Thanks, and chocolate or carob (whatever you prefer) Harry's and Draco's all around! Thanks to the three people who joined my lists, by the way…

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	12. Telling Tales

Hello people! Chapter twelve, as promised. Wish me a good time on my holidays! BTW, I'd just like to tell everyone that Min_1979 is a brilliant author and you should all read her stuff, she's on my favourites list, and that my brother is currently listed as brilliant in my books because he came up with a really good idea for a part that I was stuck at. Thanks Alex!  
  
biuChapter Twelve/b/i/u  
Ron sat beside Harry's bed in the hospital wing, watching him sleep. Hermione had gone back to the Common Room for a few minutes to tell everyone what had happened and where Harry was. He had been sleeping since they had carried him in from the Quidditch field when he had passed out, and Ron was starting to wonder if he would ever wake up, or if he would just lie there, asleep forever. Ron started as he heard the door open behind him, then relaxed as he saw Hermione walk in, and come to sit beside him.  
  
"Has he woken up yet?" Hermione asked Ron quietly, her eyes on Harry.  
"No. He hasn't even stirred," Ron answered, before turning to look at Hermione.  
"What do you think he saw?" He asked her. Everyone who knew Harry at all also knew that whenever his scar hurt Voldemort was up to something. This time had been the strongest though, even stronger than when he had the dream in Divination class, and almost everyone had agreed that he must have seen something. Poor Colin had been wandering around in a daze, and the rest of the team were not much better.  
"I don't know. I don't think I want to know," Hermione replied, shuddering slightly.  
"You're right. You don't."  
  
Ron and Hermione jumped then turned to face the bed. Harry was sitting up slightly, and was watching them both. His face was unusually serious, and his two friends suddenly noticed the large dark rings around his eyes.   
"Harry, you're awake!" Hermione exclaimed, before lunging at him catching him in a hug.   
"Thanks for stating the obvious Hermione, but I'd really like to be able to breath," Harry gasped and she backed away, looking slightly sheepish.   
"What happened, Harry?" Ron asked him, leaning forward slightly, and looking his friend straight in the eye.  
Harry sobered immediately, and turned away.  
"I think that we should get Colin and Professor Dumbledore in here."   
  
Dumbledore and Colin had been summoned to the Hospital Wing, and were now sitting beside Harry's bed. Dumbledore had a serious expression on his face, while Colin was looking at everything but Harry, and fidgeting. He obviously was afraid of what Harry would tell him, and was doing his best to avoid the matter.  
  
"Harry," Dumbledore said in a soft voice, "What happened?"  
Harry turned to look at Dumbledore for a moment, before sighing.  
"I saw something. There was a dark room. All the lanterns had been shattered, but there was still a candle glowing. There was a woman in a corner of the room, near a man's body. He was dead. There was another man standing over her holding a wand, and she was screaming at him to leave her alone. 'Don't come any closer,' she said. The man, he…he…" Harry turned away, and choked back a sob. "It was Voldemort. He killed her." Harry finished the sentence in an emotionless voice, ignoring the way everyone in the room apart from Dumbledore flinched when he said 'Voldemort'.  
"Who were they, Harry? Do you know?" Dumbledore asked quietly, compassion in his eyes.  
"It was Colin's parents."  
  
At this Colin gave a small cry of disbelief and leapt to his feet.   
"You're lying!" He cried. "You have to be! Why would You-Know-Who kill my parents? They aren't important, and they never did anything…"  
As Colin's voice faded away he slumped back into the chair behind him, before jerking his head back up again. His eyes had taken on a strange, maddened quality.  
"It's you," He whispered. "You saw it! You made it happen! YOU KILLED MY PARENTS!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(AN: Heh heh. Bet you thought I'd leave it there, didn't you? *Snickers evilly in a distinctly Voldemort-like fashion* No, I wouldn't do that to you. Continue, fair readers!)  
  
  
Colin ran out of the room. Dumbledore and Harry both sighed, before Harry turned to look at the wise old man.  
"There's something else," Harry said as the vision replayed again in his mind, and he saw the letter again. "Colin will receive an Howler tomorrow. Voldemort recorded it."  
Professor Dumbledore's eyes widened for a moment, and Harry saw something close to hate in the old mage's eyes, before he stood.  
"Thank you Harry. It will be dealt with."  
With that, Professor Dumbledore strode out of the room. As soon as he left, Madam Pomfrey entered, carrying a tray with a steaming glass full of a purple brew on it. She set the tray down beside Harry, and handed him the glass.   
"It's an extremely strong sleeping potion, Harry. You need to take it," Madam Pomfrey told him, her voice shaking slightly as she looked at him. Harry lifted the potion, looked at it disinterestedly for a moment, then swallowed it all in one gulp. He gagged and pulled a face, before falling back onto the bed, fast asleep.  
  
"Well, are you ready?" Ron asked Hermione as they stood beside the portrait of the Fat Lady. They were preparing to go into the Common Room and face the inevitable torrent of questions about Harry. Hermione gulped visibly then nodded and gave the password. Almost immediately they were surrounded by a swarm of people, all talking and yelling at once. Ron and Hermione stood silently in the middle of the crowd for a moment, before Ron decided he had had enough.  
"QUIET!" He bellowed. A silence fell over the room (AN - They seem to be doing that quite a lot, don't they?), and the people stared at him in shock. He drew in a deep breath, then began to speak.  
"One at a time. It's no use you asking us if we can't hear you over everyone else," He told the group.  
"What happened to Colin?" Someone shouted out. "He came in ages ago and he was crying!"  
"His parents were killed by You-Know-Who."  
There was a series of gasps and then silence for a short time, before someone else ventured a question.  
"How did You-Know-Who kill them?"  
"How do you think?"  
"How did they find out?"   
"Harry."  
"When did it happen?"  
Ron had been growing steadily more and angrier, and he finally lost it.  
"I can't believe all of you! All you care about is what happened and how! I'm going to bed!" Ron yelled, and turned to stomp up the stairs leading to the room he slept in.  
"How's Harry?" A small girl ?obviously a first grader? asked. Ron turned slowly.  
"How do you think he is?" He asked in an acid tone, before turning and continuing up towards his room.  



	13. Quidditch Training and News of Vernon

A/N – Hello, my faithful readers

A/N – Hello, my faithful readers! Another chapter for you, and some good news – I've gotten through a really _awful_ bout of writer's block, so I'm able to continue writing again! YAY! Also, I would like to thank **_Pleaides_** for her wonderful beta-ing. That was exactly what I was looking for! IMPORTANT – READ 

THIS! I have a list at [http://groups.yahoo.com/innlefarseeker][1] but I only have twelve members. I don't really see the point of having a list if no one uses it, so I may be closing it if there aren't enough people.

**__**

Chapter Thirteen

The next week was not a good one for Harry. The Howler had been stopped before it reached Colin, of course, but he had still received an Obituary Notice, and had blamed Harry for it in front of the whole school. Everyone had been avoiding him since then except for Ron and Hermione, who had become fiercely protective of him. They took it upon themselves to walk in front of him on the way to their classes, glaring at everyone who turned to look at the trio. Harry was not stupid however. He heard the whispers that died as he passed people in the hall, and heard them start again as soon as they believed he was out of earshot. He also saw the fearful glances that were thrown his way, just as they had been in his Second year when he had been suspected of opening the Chamber of Secrets. Even Ron and Hermione were watching him anxiously when they thought he was not looking. All of this made him retreat further into himself, and he usually did not speak unless he was spoken to. In fact, the only ones he spoke to willingly were Sebastian and Echolalia, with whom he had developed a strange kind of wordless language they could all understand. He had also thrown himself fully into his studies, and was, to everyone's shock, vying with Hermione for the top of the year level.

It was an extreme shock, therefore, when he informed the Quidditch team that they would be holding a practise that afternoon. When Katie and Alicia protested that it was raining, he simply stared at them for a moment, before turning and walking away.

It was still raining that afternoon, as the team huddled in a group on the field. They were waiting on Neville, who was still finishing his Potion's homework. Harry was standing a little bit away, and seemed to be studying the air in front of him. A few minutes later Neville came running out, holding his Cleansweep Seven tightly.

"Sorry I'm late!" He panted. "I had a lot of trouble with that last question."

"It doesn't matter," Harry had returned to the group unnoticed, but was still focusing on something far away.

"Well?" Demanded Alicia peevishly. "Are we going to get started, or are we just standing around here wasting our time?"

"First, I'd like to see exactly how good Neville and Colin are on their brooms," Harry said, finally turning to focus on them. "Are you okay with that?"

Both of them nodded, and mounted their brooms, before taking off. They hovered high above the ground, awaiting Harry's instructions.

"Right," He called. "Just do whatever I tell you as fast as possible. Forward!"

They shot off, racing up the field so fast that they blurred slightly. 

"Left!" The banked, and shot of in the other direction. This continued for ten minutes, until Harry told them to come down.

"That's pretty good, but you both need to work on your turns. Now, Katie and Alicia, could you both show Colin the basics? While they are doing that, could you try to stop them Fred and George? Do not go easy on them, when we play a real game the opposition won't. And Neville, you defend the goals against them, okay?" The group took off and began to work, Harry sometimes shouting suggestions. Sometime through the training the clouds parted and the sun began to shine weakly down, warming them slightly. 

Two people watched the team train from inside Hogwarts. 

"How have you been Severus?" Dumbledore asked the man standing next to him.

Severus sighed and said, "I guess I can't really complain. It hasn't been as bad as I expected really, and I think he's beginning to trust me again."

"You do realise that you do not have to do this?"

Snape laughed at this. "I know. It is necessary though, and who else will? He isn't recruiting, and there is no one else that would even think of turning…by the way, where has Black gotten to? I would have thought that he would stay until he was sure that Harry was alright."

"He wanted to, but he was in too much danger here, and I needed him to go on a mission for me. It took forever to convince him to go…"

Dumbledore sighed. They were silent for a couple of minutes, and watched as the sun crept out from behind the clouds.

"He's very strong for his age," Albus observed. "You can hardly tell when he's having them now. You have to look for the effects around him, not at him to really see it." 

"That was him?" Severus asked, surprised.

"Mmmm…I think I'll have to tell him soon."

"You-Know-Who didn't do anything like that until he was out of school. I believe he was in Romania when it happened. It's one of his favourite subjects, really. When he's got nothing else to say he goes on about how he changed the weather in Romania without a spell…" Severus winced and clapped his hand to his arm.

"He's calling, I have to go."

Dumbledore nodded and watched the lank-haired Professor walk away. He turned back to watch the team on the field for a moment, before he too walked away.

"Come on, you can do better then that!" Harry yelled as Neville missed a ball. "Okay, come on down." The team landed, Colin and Neville somewhat shakily. They had really been pushed by Harry, and were beginning to feel the effects. 

"I need someone to release the Snitch," Harry told the team as he grabbed his broom. "I'll give it a minute or so before going after it." He took off, and watched as the Snitch flew off at top speed, and closed his eyes, silently counting. When he reached sixty, he opened his eyes and looked around. 

Fred watched as Harry closed his eyes. He could only guess that he was counting. To tell the truth, Fred was worried about Harry. After what had happened to him during the Triwizard tournament it had taken ages for the blow to lessen, and then there was what had happened with his Uncle. Now this…Fred was sure that anyone else would have crumbled, but Harry just seemed to keep coming back for more. Yet there seemed to be something missing from him, a kind of feeling that he had always given out had almost disappeared, and the glow that used to be in his eyes had dulled. Something above them moved slightly, and Fred looked up to see Harry open his eyes and streak off, moving so fast that it was almost impossible to follow him. Suddenly he stopped, began to head downwards. In his hand there was a glint of gold and a pile of ruffled feathers.

"That's amazing!" Katie whispered. Fred nodded silently, before turning to Colin.

"Do you still blame him?"

Colin shuffled slightly before answering. "No, of course I don't. It's just I didn't want to believe it…and then I was so angry I just took it out on him…"

Fred nodded. "You know that, and the rest of us know that, but I think Harry still blames himself. It must be hard, knowing that people are being killed to get at him. I think you should tell him that it wasn't his fault."

Colin nodded miserably, and turned back to face the direction Harry was coming in from.

"Could we try that again? I think that was a fluke…" Harry said, a slight smile gracing his features for a moment before fading. Alicia nodded and held out her hand, taking the Snitch. He took off again, and began to count as soon as she released it. This continued for about an hour, the Snitch being released, Harry counting to give it some time to get away, then it being caught. Once Harry had simply shot his arm out to the side and caught it, to both the team's and his surprise. Eventually he landed, and told them that that was enough for today. As the team headed in Fred nudged Colin in the side, and nodded towards Harry, who had slipped back into his near-emotionless state. Colin headed towards Harry, and was about to tap him on the shoulder when Professor McGonagall called out to them. She was striding down the grass towards them, and called out again.

"Harry!" She said as she came up. "I have some news. Your Uncle is going on trial tomorrow. I know that you probably don't want to, but you have to go to it. You're an essential witness. I'm sorry."

Harry seemed to shrink noticeably, as he looked to the ground. 

"Who'll be taking me?" He asked quietly.

"I'll be taking you, but I'll have to come back to school at ten o'clock. Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore will be accompanying you from then onwards."

Harry nodded silently, before continuing on his way towards the castle.

   [1]: http://groups.yahoo.com/innlefarseeker



	14. Hmmm...is he the *real* Harry Potter?

So here we are, people 

So here we are, people. Chapter fourteen. Isn't it wonderful? This chapter is full of humour – or what I hope will pass as humour anyway – to counter the darkness of the last few chapters. And wow! Another ten people joined my list! Thanks so much! I don't know who it was since I can't get to my reviews, but someone asked if I was an Isobelle Carmody fan – Hell yes! Great Australian fantasy author people, check her out. I also recommend Terry Pratchett and David Eddings. While I'm recommending things I would suggest reading 1984 by George Orwall – if I recall correctly, and listening to some David Bowie can never do any harm…^_~. And now, some quick messages for a few people – 

Tygrestick – Could you please give me the address for the new HP fan fiction archive? Some people have been asking, so I'll post it on my list and Bio. 

Pleiades – Umm…we just got a new ISP and I kinda lost your email address…and I can't get to your bio for some odd reason…could you please send it to me again? Please??

BTW – if you are reading this on my list you will already know about the situation with 'whezzel'. I would like to thank all the people who have given me support and informed me of what she has been doing. Thanks a lot. *reads back over what she typed* That sounded awful, didn't it? Oh well. And this will eventually be going on at ff.net, which is why I have all those notes up their. 

IMPORTANT!!! I will be posting chapters of my fic on my Yahoo list, as well as on ff.net. Backup, I guess. Don't want to go back on my word!

The Yahoo list address is

http://groups.yahoo.com/innlefarseeker

**__**

Chapter Fourteen

The next day dawned, and Harry slowly dragged himself out of bed, pulled on his robes, attempted to flatten his hair ("You still haven't figured it out yet, have you dear," The mirror asked him sleepily), and splashed some water onto his face before heading down towards breakfast. He picked at his food, not really wanting to eat anything. Suddenly he felt a hand fall on his shoulder. He started and turned to find Professor McGonagall waiting for him.

"Is it time to go?" He asked, and sighed when she nodded before standing.

"We will be travelling by floo," She told him as they walked. "Just say you want to go to the Diagon Alley Wizarding Court, and make sure you don't get out until you stop, or you might end up in Knockturn Alley, or God knows where else."

Harry nodded as they turned into her office. Professor McGonagall motioned for him to go first, and handed him some floo powder. He took it and threw it into the fire, stepped in and said, "Diagon Alley Wizarding Court." In a loud, clear voice. The fireplace began to spin and blur, and Harry closed his eyes in an effort to battle the oncoming nausea. After a moment he stopped moving and stumbled out of the fireplace, blinking in the sudden light. Professor McGonagall followed soon after, and guided him towards the front desk, where a bored looking secretary was seated. As she noticed them approaching she pasted a fake smile on her face and straightened slightly 

"Welcome to Diagon Alley Wizarding Court, how may I help you?" She chimed, sounding exactly like the voice recordings muggle companies put on the line because they're too cheap to pay a real person to do it.

"We are here to attend a trial," McGonagall told her. The secretary pulled out a wad of official-looking papers, and flicked through them.

"Trial of?"

"Vernon Dursley."

"Are you witnesses, jury, or spectators?"

"Witness and Guardian."

"Names?"

"Harry Potter and Minerva McGonagall."

At this point the secretary looked up. 

"Uh huh, and I'm in the Ministry of Magic and working here under-cover."

"Are you suggesting I'm lying?" McGonagall demanded, and glared at the secretary, who looked straight back at her, unimpressed.

"Yeah, I am. That kid doesn't look at all like someone who could defeat You-Know-Who. Look at him! He's the scrawniest kid I have ever seen! And besides, if he really was Harry Potter, he'd have the scar, wouldn't he?" She sniffed, studying her fingernails. At this Harry lifted his fringe and coughed politely. She looked up slightly, then fell off her chair. She scrambled back on immediately, and gaped at Harry.

"You really _are_ Harry Potter! Who'd have thought it! Harry Potter, here!"

"Would you please just finish filling out the form and let us pass?" McGonagall asked, clearly feeling more then a bit peeved.

"O-of course!" She scribbled quickly onto the piece of paper, then handed it to Harry, winking and smiling at him as she did so. As they walked away Harry unfolded the piece of paper. It was a form applying for permission to enter the court, and looked fairly normal, except for something scribbled in the corner, '_Call me: 21308932'_. Harry stared it for a second, feeling fairly disgusted, before moving slightly closer to Professor McGonagall. 

"Professor, how old would you say that woman was? Around twenty-six?" 

"About that...me lying, really. I never lie! Well, not unless the situation calls for it, that is..."

Harry handed her the piece of parchment quietly. She read over it then snorted.

"Shameless hussy. ' Call me' indeed! I have half a mind to report her, coming onto a fifteen year old boy like that..."

As Minerva continued her muttering, they reached an ornate door. A man standing to the side opened it, and they walked through, entering a large room. There were several benches arranged on either side of an aisle that headed down the middle of the room. In front of the benches was a fence-like structure, and then three more seats on either side. At the front was a large chair sitting on a platform with an enormous mahogany desk in front of it and to the side of that was another chair and desk sitting on a smaller platform. There were several small groups of people in the courtroom; all talking rapidly in extremely hushed voices. Several of them stopped for a moment to glance at Harry and Professor McGonagall, before continuing with their conversations. Minerva and Harry walked silently up to the front, and took their places in the front row of the benches, and waited. They did not have to wait long. After about ten minutes a tall man with a curly beard, a smiling face and a judge's wig came in. Everyone stopped speaking, and the ones who had been sitting stood for a moment, before reclaiming their seats.

"I'm sorry, but you will have to wait a little longer," Said the man with a chuckle. "Mr. Vernon Dursley has gotten stuck in the fireplace."

Several people chuckled at this, and the man – who Harry was almost sure was the Judge – smiled and walked out. A little while later one of the men who had been in the group sauntered over to them. 

"Hey, I'm Thomas. I'm the Sketcher here," He said. "Did you hear what the trial's about? Apparently the guy is Harry Potter's Uncle, and he's up for abuse! I heard the poor kid had a broken arm and bruises all over his face!"  
" Three breaks in the right arm, one hairline fracture in the left, a shattered kneecap and broken leg, severe bruising covering seventy percent of the body, severe lacerations on the back and chest, dehydration, extreme weight loss and memory loss," Harry murmured absently.

Thomas looked at Harry strangely. "How'd you know that? Friend of his or something?"

"Well, not…" Harry stuttered, his voice slightly embarrassed.

"Well, did you see him or something? You are a witness, aren't you?"

"Well, yes, but – " 

"Who are you then?"

Harry looked helplessly at McGonagall. Her lips were twitching slightly. Harry realised that she wouldn't be of any help, and turned back to the inquisitive man.

"If I tell you, do you promise not to yell, or stare, or do anything out of the ordinary?" Harry asked in a quiet tone.

The man rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay! I promise!"  
"Umm…well you see…I am Harry Potter…"

The man stared at him for a moment, and Harry was just beginning to think that he did not believe him, when the man's lips began to move.

"Muh…muh…abliwah?" The man muttered, before keeling over quite calmly.

Several people turned as they heard Thomas hit the floor, and came running over. They picked him up and carried him over to another bench, and proceeded to attempt to wake him up. 

"What did you say to him?" One of the women who had come over with the group asked. Harry shrugged in what he hoped was an innocent-like fashion.

"All I did was tell him my name," He told her. She stared at him for a moment, before walking away muttering about high-strung people needing to be locked up before they did themselves a damage. At that moment the Judge walked back in, followed by two brawny men in large robes, who were hauling along Vernon Dursley, who was glowering and straining at the ropes that bound his hands.

The Judge walked up to the larger platform and sat in the chair, before coughing politely.

"The trial of Vernon Dursley is now in session."

During this Harry had sunk lower into the bench in an effort not to be noticed by Vernon, who was glaring at everyone in the crowd. It had been working, but then something completely unexpected happened. Thomas woke up.

"HARRY POTTER!" He yelled, pointing directly at Harry. Immediately everyone's eyes swung towards Harry, including Vernon's.

"YOU!" He bellowed and, somehow slipping out of the grip of the two guards began to charge toward Harry, breaking through the barrier in front of him through the sheer velocity of his body. 

Harry had closed his eyes as soon as Vernon had swung those terrible red eyes in his direction, and begun to pray. He didn't know what the security in this place was like, but he knew that most Wizards underestimated Muggles, and was certain that Vernon would find some way to get to him. He heard thunderous footsteps crashing towards him, and realised with a sick feeling that he was right. He opened his eyes and stood up suddenly, determined to show that he would not let Vernon dominate him.

"You won't touch me!" An angry voice echoed through the hall, and somehow through the fear and anger clouding his mind, Harry realised that the voice was his own. As the words left his mouth Vernon was sent flying against the wall. He slid down it, and stayed there for a moment, before struggling back to his feet, confusion filling his piggy eyes. The world seemed to swirl strangely in front of Harry's eyes, before fading completely, and he too slid to the ground.


	15. Discussions and Warnings

So here we have it…chapter 15 

So here we have it…chapter 15. Over 400 reviews!! OMG!!! Thanks so much! And I am proud to say I now have 26 people on my list. Thanks you guys! Chapter 15…wow. I've written up to chapter 21 and have started on chapter 22…I might start posting them earlier on my list…*hinthint*

http://groups.yahoo.com/innlefarseeker

Enjoy!

**__**

Chapter Fifteen

Voices drifted strangely about Harry, cocooning him in a kind of surreal sense of safety.

"Is he alive…?"

"We can't bring in Dementors, they have a bad affect on…"

"Severus and Dumbledore should be here soon…"

"What happened…?"

Slowly he opened his eyes, and waited for the fuzzy ovals that he was sure were faces to slide into focus. Professor McGonagall, the Judge, Thomas, Professor Dumbledore, and Professor Snape stood over him, expressions of relief and concern on their faces.

"Ow," He said in a conversational tone. The Judge turned around and, looking at his watch briefly, proclaimed a break to give Harry time to compose himself and for lunch.

"I expect you all back here by half past one," He told everyone sternly as they filed out, before turning back towards the group gathered around Harry.

"How's he feeling?" He asked Professor Dumbledore, completely ignoring the fact that Harry was awake and could have replied.

"I feel like I've just been thrown into the sixth land of Owie and landed on my head," Harry said dryly, sitting up and rubbing his head. Professor Dumbledore sighed, but Harry saw his lip twitch slightly, and knew he was fighting the urge to laugh. 

"How did you do that young man?" The Judge asked, curiosity filling his eyes.

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat at this point, and suggested that they get some lunch and make sure that Harry was all right.

"We can talk about that later on," He told the Judge, who agreed, albeit reluctantly.

"Come on, Harry," Dumbledore guided him towards the door, and led him to a small café not far from the Courthouse. 

"What happened?" Harry asked as Dumbledore ordered three butterbeers. Seeing that Professor Dumbledore could not answer the question since the man who was serving them had turned out to be an old pupil at Hogwarts, and was talking to Albus animatedly, Snape turned to Harry.

"As far as I know you threw your Uncle against the wall," He told Harry dryly, before thanking a woman who – when she noticed that the other waiter was not likely to finish speaking for quite some time and had brought over their butterbeers – and taking a sip. Harry did not look at all surprised; in fact he looked more as if a theory of his had been confirmed. After this small exchange the two sat and drank their butterbeers, waiting for the man to finish talking to Professor Dumbledore. 

The conversation had carried on for ten minutes or so, and showed no sign of ending. Apparently the man was extremely interested in You-Know-Who's history, but luckily was not paying any attention to Harry, and had not recognised him. Because of this it was a great surprise when the man turned towards Harry, and looked intently at him before beginning to speak.

"Beware the Darkness, Survivor. It haunts you, and there is no escape save death for one. Trust no one except those tested and proven. It has begun…" The man shook his head, smiled vaguely at them, then walked away. Harry stared after him for a moment, before shaking his head.

"Why me?" He muttered, thumping his head against the table lightly.

"I hope you will remember what he told you, Harry," Dumbledore said, his eyes serious.

"What did he tell me? I already knew all of that, and I have only been trusting people I knew I could ever since I started at Hogwarts," Harry said, raising his head slightly to look at the Professor. Harry could have sworn he heard Snape snort slightly, but when he looked at him he was studying the bottom of his empty glass intently.

"That, however, is beside the point," Professor Dumbledore said, fixing Harry with his blue eyes. "Harry, how long have you been able to do that?"

"Do what?" Harry asked, slight confusion sneaking into his voice.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Magic without a wand, what else?"

"Ever since I was little, I just thought…Oh no…not another one…"

"Not another one what?" Snape asked, leaning toward the suddenly depressed Harry slightly. Harry waved his hand vaguely.

"Another one of them…you know, being a Parselmouth, Surviving Avada Kedavra, being able to talk to faeries…"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow slightly. "You can talk to faeries, Harry? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Harry fidgeted slightly, looking embarrassed. "I was going to tell you, but then…"

His voice faded away, and he looked down at the table. Dumbledore smiled slightly.

"It's okay Harry, I understand. I think that you should try to learn more about these powers though and at least attempt to control them. It would be a great pity if you lost your temper with someone and I had to expel you as a result."

Harry paled slightly, and nodded. Dumbledore smiled reassuringly at him, before glancing at the clock on the roof of the Courthouse, and sighed. 

"We still have a little time before we need to go back. Is there anywhere you want to go?"

Harry nodded. "I need some new supplies for school. Do you think I could get some?"

Dumbledore nodded, and motioned Harry to go off by himself. As they watched him head towards the Apothecary, Dumbledore sighed.

"What is it that he really wants with Harry, Severus?"

Snape shook his head. "I don't know. He is obsessed with the boy. He is convinced that Harry will defeat him if he doesn't get him first. It's the only thing on his mind right now. Conquering the world can go hang as far as he is concerned, as long as Harry is dead. Do you think he'll live past his Seventh year, Albus?"

Dumbledore frowned. "I don't know, Severus. I just don't know."

Fifteen minutes later the two Professors and Harry stood outside the Courthouse. Harry turned to Professor Dumbledore as they walked in, worry filling his eyes.

"Professor, what will happen if Vernon isn't found to be guilty?"

Albus glanced at the boy, before smiling. "Don't worry Harry, we have more than enough evidence to prove him guilty, and we can always appeal."

Harry nodded, doubt still in his eyes. "And if he is found guilty, what will happen to me? I'm pretty sure that Petunia and Dudley won't want me to stay with them."

Dumbledore stopped for a moment, and a kind of tiredness seemed to overtake him.

"That is for the Judge to decide, Harry."


	16. That's me in the corner, that's me in th...

A/N – So here we are, chapter sixteen 

A/N – So here we are, chapter sixteen. I decided to get it up early, for some odd reason. Maybe the enthusiasm that a lot have people have been showing towards my fic is starting to get to me. ;) 

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

**__**

Chapter Sixteen

"Now, as I understand it, you are here on the charges of abuse, grievous bodily harm with intent and harassment. Do you have any statement to make about that, remembering that everything you say is being recorded?" The Judge, who had introduced himself as Mantros, asked Vernon, peering over his oval-shaped glasses gravely.

"I didn't touch the little fool, he got all that when he fell off his ruddy broomstick!" Vernon snarled.

"There is no record of Mr. Potter using magic over the holidays, Mr. Dursley, and as such I find your claim extremely hard to accept," Judge Mantros frowned slightly at Vernon, who glowered back.

Vernon's chin jutted out – reminding Harry and awful lot of Dudley – and he asked, "How can you be sure?"

Mantros sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, before turning to Harry. "I don't suppose you would play a position on your House's Quidditch team, would you Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded slightly.

The Judge smiled. "Then you wouldn't mind giving a demonstration of your skills on a broom then, would you?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't mind at all, Sir."

"Good. What position do you play, Harry?"

"Seeker, Sir."

"Would someone please run down to Quidditch Supplies and ask the Storekeeper if he would mind loaning us a Snitch and a broom?" One of the people sitting in the back row ran out. 

"Well then, we'd better head on down to the Quidditch field then, hadn't we?" Mantros said, clapping his hands in a way that suggested that he was extremely glad to have a reason to get out of the Courthouse. He led them out of the building and down a street that Harry had never noticed before, which turned out to lead straight to a large grassy field. Once there they waited for the man who had left to get the snitch and broom. When he had arrived the man passed the Snitch and Broom to Judge Mantros who passed the broom to Harry and opened the box with the Snitch in it. The broom was a Cleansweep Seven that was in extremely good condition. Harry mounted it and took off, flying up until he was level with the roofs of the stores nearby. The Snitch was released and he waited, just as he had done at Quidditch training the day earlier, to give it a chance to get away. His eyes slipped closed and he listened to the breeze, feeling its soft touch stroke his cheek like a gentle hand. After a minute or so he opened his eyes and began to look for the golden light that was the Snitch.

In a dark corner out of sight of all the people from the trial watching Harry, another person stood. He frowned as he watched Harry close his eyes and shook his head. He had believed that maybe this boy was different, but he appeared to be mistaken. The boy was just like all the others lately, arrogant and too sure of their own ability.

A flash of gold caught Harry's eye as he hovered above the field. The Snitch was hovering just in front of the Judge, mere inches from the ground. Harry frowned for a moment before heading downwards, blazing towards the Snitch like shooting stars race towards the Earth. He turned on the broom so that he was hanging upside down, and rushed along just above the ground, his hair brushing blades of grass. He put out his hand, felt it close around something both metallic and feathery, then turned back upright and halted, hovering just above the ground in front of the Judge, who was looking slightly afraid – most probably because of the way Harry had hurtled at him – and slightly awed. Harry held out his hand and opened it slowly to reveal the Snitch, which hung in the air just above his hand, knowing somehow that it had been caught and was to be put back in it's box. Mantros drew in a breath and proclaimed that there was no way Harry could have gotten his injuries from falling off his broom.

The man who stood unnoticed in the corner sucked in a breath. He had never seen anyone with so much control over a broom, and the speed with which the boy had caught the Snitch was frankly incredible. He would have to ask Mantros about him later. 

'I wonder who he is," The man thought, watching the group head back to the Courthouse. He replayed what he had seen in his mind, and smiled.

"Well, do you have anything else to say in your defence, Mr. Dursley?" The Judge asked, slight boredom infiltrating his voice.

"Yeah. What do you have to prove it?" Vernon growled, arms crossed over his ample stomach.

"Do you have any evidence?" Mantros asked Dumbledore, who stood up and handed him several pictures. The man studied them for a moment before handing the pictures over to the Jury and asking if there were any witnesses. Professor Snape sighed and stood, told the court what had happened, and sat down again. By this time the Jury and the people who had come to watch the trial were glaring at Vernon in a most unpleasant manner, and he had turned a kind of grey that reminded Harry of dirty water. The Jury left the room to make their decision about Vernon, and returned not long after. They took one look at Vernon before turning to the Judge and pronouncing him guilty. Mantros nodded and turned to Mr. Dursley.

"You will spend fifteen years in a High Security Prison for Muggles, and all your properties and businesses are now stripped of you, and given to your wife and son. I also hereby proclaim that Professor Dumbledore and the staff of Hogwarts are to be Mr. Potter's guardian from now, if they have no objections."

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head. "We would be honoured to look after Harry, Sir." The Judge smiled back, and proclaimed the trial over. Harry stumbled to his feet and headed to the door after Professor Dumbledore and Snape, his head whirling. 

"Professor…Does this mean that I'll be living at Hogwarts from now on? For good?" Harry asked Albus Dumbledore, a faint ray of hope beginning to shine on his face.

Dumbledore smiled slightly and nodded. "Yes Harry. You'll be living at Hogwarts from now on."

To Harry's surprise Professor Snape nodded in agreement with Dumbledore as they headed to the fountain, and passed through the secret passage. This time Harry heard the word that Dumbledore muttered.

"Fate."


	17. Stupefy....

Here you go people, chapter 17. Remember to join my group!

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BTW – 

I have a Sailor Moon fanfic that I wrote last year as a dare sitting on my computer…Do you want me to post it so you can see how bad I was? Tell me when you review…

**__**

Chapter Seventeen

Halloween was fast approaching, and the whole school was buzzing with excitement. A ball had been organised, and everyone was trying to find someone to go with, especially the girls. All of this had gone over Harry's head. He had buried himself in books and studying, which both Ron and Hermione found extremely annoying. Truth is told, Hermione was angry at the fact that Harry had started to overtake her in knowledge, especially with the amount of time he had been like this. Ron was angry at the fact that Harry had once again taken the spotlight by being 'adopted' by the Professors, and Harry was simply ignoring everything that went on around him and waiting for the Hogsmeade trip that coincided with Halloween. He had received a letter from Sirius telling him that he would be there and wished to see him, and Harry could hardly wait until then. 

The day finally arrived, and Harry was one of the first people up, waiting impatiently for the time when the teachers would finally allow them to head down to Hogsmeade. It seemed to take forever, but they eventually reached the small village where the majority of students began to spread out, heading off to buy lollies and joke items. Faeries wafted through the air, following their partners in and out of shops, and sometimes stealing something they had bought and running off with it. Harry walked past them slowly, heading towards the cave that Sirius had stayed in last year. They had arranged to meet there, and Harry had brought some food taken from the kitchens for Sirius in case he was eating rats again.

"Hey, Harry!" Harry turned to see Ron running towards him with Hermione not far behind.

"Where are you going, Harry?" Ron panted, leaning over with his hands on his knees in an attempt to catch his breath.

"To see Snuffles," Harry said, continuing to walk.

"Is he here?" Hermione asked, surprised. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Harry shrugged. "I thought I did. I must have forgotten. I seem to be doing that a lot lately…"

Hermione sighed. "Well, do you mind us coming? I'd like to see Sirius again."

Harry nodded absently. "Sure, if you want to."

They finally reached the cave. Sirius was pacing outside the mouth of it in his dog form, looking incredibly serious, which made the scene extremely amusing. When he spotted them he ran towards them, barking madly, and ran back and forward between the cave and them until they reached it. When they were inside he transformed and pulled Harry to himself in a hug. Harry patted his back awkwardly, not used to the kind of affection that Sirius was displaying.

"I'm so sorry I had to leave, Harry. I truly didn't want to, but Dumbledore needed someone he could trust and…"

Harry interrupted him quickly. "It's okay Sirius, really. I know that everyone will have to make some sacrifices if we're going to win against Voldemort. I'm lucky really. All I have to put up with is not seeing you very often, unlike some others…" His voice faded away, and his gaze became unfocused for a second. Sirius glanced at Ron and Hermione questioningly.

"One of the kids at school's parents were killed, and they blame Harry," Hermione whispered to Sirius. At that moment Harry seemed to jerk out of his reverie, and turned to face them.

"We need to get out of here. Now."

"What are you talking about, Harry? There's no need to leave yet!" Ron protested, shaking his head slightly.

"Trust me, we need to leave, right now," Harry insisted.

"Harry, you're being stupid. There's no need to leave at all. Don't you want to talk to Sirius some more?" Hermione said, crossing her arms across her chest.

Indecision flickered across Harry's face, before it hardened, and he sighed.

"Then you leave me no choice. I'm sorry."

He raised his wand and pointed it at the two of them. "Stupefy," He said in a dull voice. The two fell to the ground, unconscious.

"What are you doing, Harry?" Sirius questioned, staring at his Godchild.

"There's no time to explain. You can either help me carry them out, or I can stupefy you too." Sirius paused for a moment, considering his options, then lifted Hermione quickly.

"You're going to have some serious explaining to do once this is over, Harry."  
" I know."

The two carried Ron and Hermione behind some large bushes, and laid them on the ground. Harry them forced Sirius to lie down beside them, and pulled his invisibility cloak out of his robes. 

"Engorgio," He muttered, pointing his wand at the cloak. Soon it was as large as a blanket, and he spread it over his two unconscious friends and Sirius, before crawling under the cloak-turned-blanket himself.

"Harry, what is going on?" Sirius hissed, glancing at him. He was beginning to suspect that Harry had gone crazy, and he didn't like the idea.

"Quiet!" Harry hissed, clapping his hand over Sirius' mouth. Sirius was just about to protest when two black-clad figures came into view.

"I don't see why we have to be the ones to come and get him," A whiny, high-pitched voice came from one of the figures.

"The Dark Lord chose us, that's why. It is not our position to question his orders," The other retorted in a slightly gravelly voice.

"Still, he should have chosen someone with more experience," The whiny one said. You could almost see him pouting unhappily, despite the mask covering his face.

The other one groaned slightly, before walking into the cave, muttering 'lumos' quietly. A few moments passed, before the man's voice echoed out of the cave mouth.

"He's not here!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am! It's not that big a cave, and there's nowhere for him to hide!"

"He must have heard us coming. He can't have gotten too far though. Let's search these bushes."

A pair of boots clomped towards where the four lay, stopping millimetres from Harry's face. He felt Sirius stiffen beside him, and held his breath. After a long moment the boots turned and walked away again.

"He's not in the bushes, either."  
"We can't just go back without him! The Dark Lord would kill us!"  
'Literally,' Harry thought grimly.

"We can say that there was no sign of him then tell him that Pettigrew must have been wrong," The gravelly-voiced one said.

"I guess…" The other one said uncertainly.

"Come on. It'll do us no good to keep standing around here. Let's get this over with. We should have brought a Dementor with us."  
"We wouldn't have been able to get it through Hogsmeade without causing suspicion," The whiny one pointed out as they turned.

The pair walked away quickly, disappearing over the crest of the hill. Harry waited for a few minutes before standing and pulling the cloak off Sirius and the stupefied Ron and Hermione. Sirius' face was pale, and he was shaking violently. Harry patted his shoulder for a moment, before waking Ron and Hermione.

"Just what did you think you were doing?!" Hermione burst out, her voice shrill. Ron was glowering at Harry, and seemed about ready to give him a good solid whack over his head.

"Death-eaters," Sirius said suddenly.

"What?" Ron asked, surprised.

"There were two Death-eaters. They just searched the cave. If we had been in there…" Sirius' voice faded away, and he shivered. Hermione and Ron gaped at him for a minute before turning to Harry, a question in their eyes.

"How did you know?" Ron breathed.

Harry shrugged. "I heard them coming." 

He said nothing more, and the others did not press him. They stayed with Sirius until the sun started to go down, talking about various unimportant things that were happening at school. They all kept glancing back at the cave, however, and conversation soon turned to where Sirius would go. He wasn't sure, and told them that he would have to ask Dumbledore. Soon it was time to head back to Hogwarts and they bid him goodbye, waving until they could see him no longer. All in all it was a very solemn group that headed back to Hogwarts.


	18. Psssst.....

Booya people! Next chapter, fresh out of the machine! Well…not literally…I still have a few chapters left but…I'm rambling! Anyway! Join the list, post the fanfiction, live long and prosper, thanks for all the reviews…I'd better stop typing or poor old Blossom is gonna chuck a fit waiting for this…heh heh. I'm cruel. *starts singing* Your eyes can be so cruel, just as I can be so cruel…

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Chapter Eighteen

Harry scowled as he pulled his dress robes over his head. He really didn't want to go to the ball, especially after the day's events, but Ron had asked Hermione – strictly as friends, of course – and they had begged and pleaded, saying that it just wouldn't be the same without him. He had eventually given in just to shut them up. He hadn't been asked to the ball by anyone and he didn't feel like asking, especially with all the rumours about him going around so he had decided to go alone. He fixed the cuffs of his robes, and glanced quickly into the mirror. His hair was just as wild as it was normally, but he had given up on it by now. In a fit of childishness he poked his tongue out at his reflection, picked up Sebastian and Echolalia, and headed down to the common room.

"You took your time, Harry! Come on, or we'll be late!" Hermione exclaimed, grabbing his arm and dragging him and Ron after her. She was dressed in the same periwinkle blue outfit that she had worn last year, and her hair was tied up in an elaborate knot on her head. Harry thought that he caught a glimpse of make-up on her face, but he wasn't sure. Ron was dressed in the navy blue robes with gold trimming that the twins had gotten him for Christmas, and was looking extremely proud. Harry was glad that the money he had won was being put to good use. He had decided over the time with the Dursleys that he would not allow himself to drown in self-pity. Too many people would expect that of him, and he wished to prove that he would not just give in and bow his head to fate, or destiny or anything that those kind of people rabbited on about.

"Harry? You still alive in there or has your brain gone on permanent vacation?" Ron's voice startled Harry out of his reverie.

"Pardon? I was off with the faeries…"

Ron rolled his eyes. "I was asking you if you wanted to eat first and dance later, or dance first and eat later."

Harry shrugged. "It doesn't bother me either way…" Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, shrugged, and headed out onto the dance floor. Harry sidled over to the drinks and picked up a glass of water, then sat down in one of the chairs around the sides of the great hall. The decorations were amazing. Streamers hung from almost every available place and kept changing colour, and balloons that couldn't be popped bounced around the floor. The band playing was fairly good, and the roof of the hall reflected a clear, starry sky, which seemed to be more of a royal blue than black. 

"How are you, Potter?" Moody's voice growled from behind Harry, making him jump two feet into the air. Moody laughed slightly. 

"However amusing your impression of a rabbit is, I would prefer it if you answered the question," He said as he took a seat beside Harry.

"Fine," Harry muttered, his ears turning slightly red.

'If I'm supposed to be so brave and courageous, why did I jump?' He thought sourly to himself. Moody, who hadn't noticed his look of slight disgust, turned around to look at him.

"How have you been doing in class?"

Harry shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

Moody grinned, or at least gave the impression that he was trying to. "From what I've heard you've been doing a lot better than just 'okay'."

Harry shrugged again, and directed his attention towards the couples on the dance floor. The partners twirled and spun, making Harry feel a little dizzy.

"Not very talkative today, are you?" Moody said, turning to watch the partners as well.

Harry sighed, and shook his head.

'Was there any point in him coming over here?' He asked himself, then voiced his question out loud.

Moody grinned. "You aren't one to muck about, are you? Yes, there is a reason to me coming over here besides wanting a conversation with someone who doesn't shrink away from me or act as if I'm mad. Dumbledore was wondering if you might like to have some…_extensions_…in your classes, so to speak."

Harry looked at him blankly. Moody sighed. "With your abilities. We figured that if you have them, you might as well learn how to use them."  
Harry thought for a moment. "I guess it would be pretty stupid to have the chance and not take it, wouldn't it?"

Moody grinned and nodded, before standing up and stretching. "I'd better go. Can't be seen with you for too long, or some people might think that I had favourites." He grinned again, and stomped off, his wooden leg clicking on the polished floor.

Harry sat there for a little while longer, before standing. He was about to head up to his room, when he heard a quiet sound coming from behind him.

"Psssst!"

"No I'm not. There's no alcohol here, so that's fairly impossible."

There was a snort of laughter which was quickly muffled, then Fred's voice reached his ears.

"Get over here, Harry! We need your help."

"What is it?" 

Harry had gone against his better judgement, and was standing in a small corridor away from the Great Hall with Fred, George and Lee.

George glanced at him, before looking away. "It's kind of embarrassing…"

Harry snapped. "I'm tired, extremely frustrated, I've just been dragged out into a cold hall to help you three and now you won't tell me what's wrong! If you want help, talk fast."

"Okay, okay! Jeez…Well, Fred, Lee and I were trying to invent a kind of sweet which would create a clone of the person who ate it for a while, so they could get the clones to do homework and stuff, you know? Ron wasn't exactly willing to try them – I can't imagine why – so we all had one instead. Everything was going fine, except for the fact that they didn't disappear when they were supposed to. We figured that we had just miscalculated slightly, and thought that they would go away in an hour or so. But the hours became days, and the days became weeks and now…The worst thing is that if they don't have something to do, they start acting up. We have them following Snape right now and influencing people to walk in his way or put objects in his path when he really needs to get somewhere, but they'll forget what they're supposed to be doing eventually…"

"And this means exactly _what_ to me?" Harry asked, groaning and running a hand through his hair impatiently.

"Well, you're pretty advanced in class, and we were wondering if…" Fred started.

"You would try and help us undo it," George finished. Harry sighed.

"Fine. Was it a potion or a spell that you used?"

"Potion."  
"Well, come on. The way to counteract the potion is probably through another potion, so we'd better get to the Potions classroom."  
"Thanks, Harry."  
"You owe me."

"Ouch!"

"Sorry Lee," Fred said, grinning. The four boys were shifting a large cauldron out of one of the cupboards in the classroom, and Fred had just stepped on Lee's foot.

"Would you lot just hurry up and get the cauldron over here?" Harry snapped. He had pulled out all of his potions ingredients and was arranging them on the bench in front of him in a way that would make it easy for him to get them without having to look up from what he was doing. Fred, Lee and George managed to move the cauldron over in front of Harry, who lit the fire beneath it, and half-filled it with water.

"Do you have a list of the ingredients you put into it?" Harry asked them, silently praying that they did. He wouldn't be able to do much if he didn't know what they had added in the first place.

"What do you think we are, idiots?" Fred asked him indignantly as he pulled a piece of parchment out of his robes. Harry simply stared at him for a moment, before taking the piece of parchment.

"Did you add them in this order?" He asked, studying the piece of crumpled paper carefully.

"Well, yes. Does it make a difference?" Lee asked, his face puzzled.

Harry sighed. "Yes, it does. For example, if you had added the beetle eyes before the dragon's liver, you would have been drinking a potion for healing cataracts, and if you had added the dragonfly wings before that you would have been drinking a highly concentrated form of hydrochloric acid."

The three boys blanched, and backed away from the cauldron.

"Now, lets see…if you mix lizard gut with worm skin it should counteract the boggart eyes and grispik kidney, and if I boil some mandrake leaves and redcap teeth together that should nullify the effects of the dragonfly wings and cobra venom…"

Harry began to work, shredding and boiling and drying ingredients, mixing some and grinding others into a fine powder. Fumes rose from the cauldron and filled the air with a bitter, acrid smell. Plumes of smoke rose and wreathed Harry's head, making it look like he had a multi-coloured halo around his head, and giving off an extremely eerie effect. 

"I need some scales," He said suddenly. 

"I'll get them," Lee said, starting to his feet. Harry shook his head.

"No, I can. _Accio_ scales!" He said. A pair of small, golden scales flew towards him, and landed on the desk lightly. Harry weighed the last ingredient – beetle eyes – and threw them into the cauldron. It glowed a bright green for a moment before fading and changing to a brilliant, shining silver. Harry took three vials and filled them to the brim with the luminous liquid and handing them to the twins and Lee. They looked at them doubtfully.

"Are you sure this will work?" Lee asked.

Harry shrugged. "Either that or you'll be extremely happy for a little while, before passing out and dreaming of things like giant, hairy spiders."

They laughed nervously, but stopped when they saw he wasn't smiling.

"You're not…serious, are you?" Fred asked in disbelief.

"What do you think?"

They looked nervously at each other again.

"Well, bottoms up," George said after a pause, and downed the potion in one shot. The other two were quick to follow. They stood for a moment with uncertain expressions on their faces, before smiling. Suddenly three streams of white mist shot under the door and hit them. They shouted in surprise, then turned to Harry as the vapour died away.

"What was that?" Lee asked suspiciously.

"That was the clones," Harry answered, smiling slightly. 'Did you think that they'd just disappear? What you did was separate a little of your essence from yourselves and give it another body. If you hadn't been rejoined, eventually you would have gotten sick and died." The three boys paled.

"Come on. I'm going to bed, and I think you should do the same. That potion sometimes has some side-effects, and it's best to sleep them off."

The trio of troublemakers nodded, and the four headed out of the room. No one noticed the scales shrink turn into a small ball of glowing golden light, and slip into one of the pockets in Harry's robes.


	19. I'm dreaming of a...

A/N – Here you go guys – sorry it's a bit late, but Mum wouldn't let me on. Enjoy!

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Disclaimer – Do you know how long it is since I've done one of these? *sweatdrops* I don't own HP, all belongs to JK Rowling.

**__**

Chapter Nineteen

"Ron! Ron, wake up!" Harry shook the sleeping boy, and was rewarded with a solid whack around the head.

"Go 'way," Ron mumbled, flailing his arms about vaguely.

Harry sighed. "Ron, Hermione wants to talk to you."

Ron shot up. "Wazzat?"

Harry laughed. "I just said that its time for breakfast, that's all."  
Ron glared at him suspiciously, before getting out of bed and rummaging around in his trunk for some clothes.

"What day is it?" He asked as he pulled a new robe over his head.

"Sunday, isn't it?" 

Yeah, that's it."

An Idea belted Harry around the back of the head. "Ow! You know, we never did end up visiting Hagrid."

"Yeah, I know. Why did you say 'ow'?"

"An Idea belted me around the head," Harry replied.

"Oh. Neville really screwed up that potion, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. You think we should go see him today?"

"Who? Neville? He's sleeping just over there if you have that big an urge to go and see him, Harry."  
"Not Neville, Hagrid."  
"Oh. Yeah, that might be an idea. We can take our faeries down too."

"Right. You go down and wait for Hermione, Ron. I need to get dressed," Harry said.

Ron nodded and headed out, his flame-coloured faerie – aptly named 'Flame' – following him. Harry quickly pulled on his clothes and picked up Sebastian.

"Where's Echolalia?" He asked softly in parselmouth, before glancing in the direction that Sebastian prodded his tail at. She was lying asleep on the windowsill, soaking in the sun. He quickly prodded her awake and headed down to the common room, Sebastian wound around his neck, and Echolalia perched on his head.

"Come on, let's go!" He said, laughing as he ran ahead of Ron and Hermione. They followed quickly, yelling after Harry and telling him to 'slow down, you daft idiot', as Ron so aptly put it.

"Hagrid, open the door!" Ron yelled, banging on the hut's wooden door loudly.

"Ron, be quiet! Hagrid might still be asleep!" Hermione hissed, appalled at Ron's methods.

"Whoozere?" A rough voice questioned sleepily, and the door swung open to reveal Hagrid, resplendent in a blue and white striped nightshirt.

"Nice clothes, Hagrid," Ron grinned, before shouting in pain as Hermione whacked him around the head.

"Sorry about him, Hagrid," she said, glaring at Ron who quailed beneath her fiery gaze. "I'm afraid Ron was up late last night eating some chocolate eclairs that he _says_ Dobby gave to him as an early Christmas gift, and seems to be a little out of it today."

Hagrid grinned, and motioned for them to come inside.

"So, what do you think of Harry being under your custody?" Ron asked him.

"I guess that makes you his Uncle or something, doesn't it?"

Hagrid closed the door. "I didn' think of that. I guess it does, in a way. That is, if Harry doesn' mind."

Harry stared at him. "Why would I mind?"

Hagrid shrugged. "Well, I got expelled, an' because I'm a half giant…"

Harry sighed.

"Look, you're my guardian and guardians are supposed to provide good examples. Moping around isn't what I'd call a good example," He said, shaking his finger at Hagrid sternly. Hagrid grinned at him, before frowning.

"What are you lot doin' down 'ere! I'll bet yeh didn' have breakfas' or anythin'!" Hagrid said, pushing them towards the door.

"Hagrid, we just got here!" Hermione protested.

"You shouldn' 'ave come down 'ere withou' eating! Now go back up to the castle, and get somethin' into yeh!" 

With that he shoved them out and closed the door.

"I think he's taking his guardian role a little too seriously," Ron said, glaring at Harry.

"It's not my fault!" He protested, backing away.

"I think it is, Harry. If you hadn't given him that lecture, he might not noticed!" Hermione said, walking towards Harry.

"Um…I'm sorry?" Harry said, before turning and pelting back up towards Hogwarts.

The rest of the day was spent lazily playing chess and gobstones. The sky had turned a deep orange and the clouds were a pale pink. The Weasley twins were sitting in the corner, planning some kind of prank. When Ron asked what they were up to, they shook their heads, grinning.

"You'll find out soon enough, ickle Ronnykins," Fred told him smugly.

"Yeah, and you'll thank us when you do," George added. Harry, who was watching the scene with some amusement, noticed Fred's eyes flicker from Ron to Hermione and back again. Ron sighed and sat back down in the chair he had been previously occupying, muttering about idiotic brothers.

"You aren't playing matchmaker, are you?" Harry asked the twins in a low whisper, after telling Hermione and Ron that he wanted to borrow their chess set.

Fred grinned up at him. "Why, would we do that?" He said, eyes sparkling mischievously .

Harry shook his head, and turned to face Ron and Hermione.

"I'm feeling a bit tired, so I'm going to go to bed, okay?"

"But Harry, it's only seven o'clock!" Ron protested.

Harry yawned. "Sorry, but you two are going to have to come up with something fun to do without me."

Fred snorted, and Harry winked at him as he walked past the two, up to the dorm.

Darkness filled the night, and the only noise to be heard was the deep breathing that can only come through sleep. That, and small whimpers of pain and fear that pervaded the consciousness and forced you to find out what was happening, if only so you can reassure yourself that it was just some child having a nightmare, and all was safe. And it was a child having a nightmare, in a way. If you could call a fifteen year old a child, and if you could call the images that danced through his mind a nightmare. In reality they were far, far worse…

__

"Please…" a voice begged. "No more…I can't take any more…"

"Then tell me what they're planning," Another voice said, cold and clinical.

"I can't…"  
A man with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes that were filled with pain was lying on a steel table, bound by ropes that he was struggling feebly against. Voldemort stood over him, idly twisting the pair of thumbscrews on the man's hands tighter. The man screamed, a high keening noise that seemed to go beyond the edge of human hearing and communicated more pain then should be humanly possible. Voldemort stopped turning the screws after a moment, and watched the man pant and gasp, seemingly amused.

"Tell me."

"I can't…"

The screws were tightened again and the screams began, stopped, and Voldemort spoke.

"Tell me."

"I can't…"

And so it went on…

Harry shot up into a sitting position, gasping and clutching his scar which was weeping blood and a clear liquid. 

'Gods,' He thought, horror filling him. Was that what Voldemort was doing? Torturing innocent people? But he had been after something…

"I have to see Dumbledore."


	20. Invitations.

Heya people! Next chapter, and a day early since I've finally finished school! *jumps around* YAY!!! Enjoy, and don't forget to join my group!

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Disclaimer – I finally remembered! HP does not belong to me!! The wonderful, brilliant, and amazingly talented (sucking up a lot, ne? ^.^) JK Rowling holds all rights.

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Chapter Twenty

Harry ran through the corridors, making his way towards Dumbledore's office. He was moving so fast that he ran straight through the Bloody Baron, who protested loudly. Harry ignored him and ran on. He finally came to the Gargoyle Statue, where he halted. 

"Okay…let's see…Sugar Quill? Cockroach Cluster? Lemon Drops? Blood Pops?"

The Gargoyle shifted and began to shuffle out of the way, protesting in a high, nasal voice about being woken up in the middle of the night. Harry ignored it and slipped through the crack in the wall and began to run up the steps. He swung open the door and was walked in, panting. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk wearing what Harry guessed were his nightrobes, and a purple sleeping cap with a dark blue bobble on the end. He glanced up at Harry, then sighed.  
"You look like you've been waiting for me," Harry said as he came to a halt, confused.

Dumbledore smiled, but it was the kind of tired, weary smile that people use when something is wrong and they're trying to hide it.

"I have been, in a sense," Dumbledore said softly. "A nightmare, am I right?"

Harry nodded. "How did you…?"  
"A spy of mine hasn't reported in for a week, and I suspect that he has been discovered," Dumbledore explained. "I was fairly certain that you would be having some dreams soon if he was."

Harry nodded. "This spy…He wouldn't have brown hair would he? And blue eyes?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, he does. Harry, are you all right?"

Harry had begun to shake, and was swaying on his feet, a hand over his mouth.

"I think I'm going to be sick," He said, voice devoid of any emotion. Dumbledore guided him into a small bathroom that branched off from the study and waited for Harry to finish retching. 

"I gather that the news is not good," Dumbledore observed once Harry had finished.

"Voldemort…he had him tied down…on a table…thumbscrews…" Harry managed, before having to disappear into the room again.

"Did he tell Voldemort anything?" Dumbledore asked when he had re-emerged. 

Harry shook his head. "Not as far as I know," He said in a shaky voice.

"That's good news, at least. It means the mental binding spell is working. I'll have to find some way to get him out."

Harry glanced at Dumbledore. "How many spies do you have? Are they all taking that risk?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry thoughtfully.

"I suppose it would be all right…you are in the midst of it all and you could be useful…" He muttered to himself, before addressing Harry.

"I can't tell you now, but if you would come back here in two days time…we'll see what the others have to say about you joining."

"Joining what?"

"You'll know if you join, but if you don't it would be best for you not to know. It could put you in danger."

Harry nodded, seeing the sense in what Dumbledore said.

"I suppose I should go then," He said uncertainly.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Oh, and Harry? Arabella Figg is starting a Duelling Club. I suggest you join."  
Harry nodded. "Professor?"  
"Yes?"

"Professor Snape…he's one of the spies, isn't he?"

Dumbledore regarded Harry for a moment.  
"Yes Harry, he is."

Harry nodded once, then stepped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Dumbledore shook his head.

'What has happened to you Harry? You've lost your innocence…' Dumbledore thought sorrowfully, remembering the haunted, knowing look that he had seen in Harry's eyes. He shook his head again and turned, tapped a seemingly normal part of the wall, and disappeared into his chambers.

Harry stood in the corridor by the Gargoyle Statue for a moment, thinking. He shook himself out of it, and began to make his way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. He gave the password to the Fat Lady ("Out having a midnight meeting, hmmm? Who's the lucky girl? I hope you didn't let things go too far though, you're still a child…"), and wandered up to his dorm room. Sebastian was lying awake on his bed, and all seven heads turned to face him.

"Where have you been?" He hissed, flicking his tongues out at Harry, and sniffing the air.

"The bathroom," Harry lied smoothly. Sebastian chuckled.

"You may be deemed a good liar by your species Harry, but I know when you're withholding the truth."

"Yeah?" Harry said, picking up Sebastian and crawling into bed, before placing him back down. Sebastian promptly curled around Harry's neck and rested his heads on Harry's chest.

"You smell of deceit, fear and horror. I don't think the bathroom could upset you that much, however bad the smell is."  
Harry sighed. "I don't want to talk about it, Sebastian. Just leave it for now, okay?"

Sebastian lifted his heads to look Harry in the eyes. "That was all you had to say."

Harry smiled. "Thank you."

The next day dawned bright and early, much to Harry's disgust. He crawled out of bed and staggered into the bathroom, splashing water onto his face and cleaning his teeth. He wandered back into the dorm and pulled on his clothes, before shaking Ron and Dean awake. Seamus was already down in the Common Room, and Harry guessed that there was something important in there since Seamus didn't usually emerge until he absolutely had to. As Harry walked down the stairs leading to the Common Room Seamus appeared and began to jump around him, making various noises of excitement.

"Seamus, be quiet. I have a headache and you are not helping," Harry said quietly. Seamus giggled rather childishly and jumped down the stairs. As Harry entered the Common Room he saw a crowd gathered around a poster on the wall, and were talking excitedly.

"Harry! You'll never guess what's happened! They are restarting the duelling club! Are you going to join?" Ginny came running over to him, a faint blush staining her cheeks.

Harry grinned tiredly at her. "As long as Lockhart isn't running it."

Ginny giggled, then ran over to Ron as he emerged from upstairs.

Harry sighed.

__

'Arabella Figg is starting a Duelling Club. I suggest you join.' 

Harry shook his head as Dumbledore's voice echoed through his head. Pushing his way through the crowd, he ran his finger along the next blank line on the sign-up sheet. His name appeared slowly on the previously blank line.

'What am I going to tell Ron and Hermione?' Harry thought silently, watching as the letters glowed red as a brand for a moment before dying back to the usual black. He knew that he couldn't just presume that they would be able to join the group of people Dumbledore had been talking about, but he didn't want to have to lie to them and he didn't want to put them in more danger then they were already in.

'I'll talk to Dumbledore at the meeting tomorrow,' Harry decided, before heading up to the common room to get dressed. He had a feeling that the day was going to be very long indeed.


	21. A priestess, sword and King.

Here we are, chapter twenty-one! Enjoy!

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**__**

Chapter Twenty-One

Harry sighed as he climbed the stairs that led to Trelawney's classroom, muttering quietly to himself about the injustice of having Divination first after such an awful night.

'Someone definitely doesn't like me,' He thought to himself wryly as he climbed up the ladder and pushed the trapdoor open. Most of the class was already there, and Ron waved him over.

"Thank goodness, I was beginning to think that I might have to work with Neville," Ron whispered to him as he sat down. Harry smiled weakly, and Ron frowned.

"Are you okay, Harry? You don't look too good."

Harry shook his head. "No Ron, I'm not okay. There's nothing that can be done about it though, and I'd rather not talk about it, if that's okay."

Ron frowned and anger showed in his eyes for a brief moment before disappearing.

"If you say so."

Harry was saved from having to go into any more detail by the appearance of Trelawney. Her robes floated about her in a mysterious way – Harry was certain that she had spent ages choosing them for that effect – as she peered through her large glasses at the assembled group.

"Good morning, children. Today we shall be starting a new unit of work…the tarot cards," She informed them, smiling mistily at Lavender and Pavarti. Harry groaned quietly.

"I want you all to take a pack of cards…don't choose just any pack, the cards should call out to you. I think it would be best if you closed your eyes so that your mind's eye can see the cards clearly," She instructed them, laying out several packs of cards on the table. Harry watched as Pavarti and Lavender both reached out and picked up a deck of cards immediately, then the rest of the class excluding Harry reached out reluctantly and picked up a deck. Harry reached out, hand hovering uncertainly over the packs. He closed his eyes, and his hand shot out and grabbed a deck. He slowly opened them to find a gorgeous black and white deck in his hand.

"A wise decision, Harry…those cards have always been useful to people born under the influence of Neptune…I'm glad you took the time to make a proper decision," Trelawney smiled at Harry softly, causing Lavender and Pavarti to blush and glare at him. Harry snorted, knowing that he was definitely not born under Neptune's influence.

"We will be starting with the simplest layout at first…a three-card spread. The left card represents the past, the middle the present and the right card is the future. You will pair off, and do one reading today. Begin," The misty-eyed Professor said, walking around the class slowly.

Ron attempted to do Harry's reading first, using the cards that he had picked up.

"Okay…you have the High Priestess as your past card…that means intuition and awareness because of the upright position," Ron said, flipping through the pages of his Divination book. The picture on the card was of a woman in long, flowing garments holding a book in her left hand, and a crystal ball with dark and light radiating from it in her right hand. 

"It says people who come up with this card are sensitives and adepts…people keeping a secret…Luke Skywalker? Who's that? He's listed in the muggle section," Ron said, looking up.

Harry frowned. "I think he's from a movie…" 

Ron nodded. "Ah. A movie," He said in a knowledgable tone. He had forced Hermione to tell him all about that muggle world so that his father would stop ringing her up on the telephone and telling her all about his new spark plug.

"Okay. The next card is the Eight of Swords, and it's upright as well. Basically it's supposed to represent a feeling of entrapment, and it normally comes up with someone who is feeling…well, trapped and restrained. Nothing unusual there, what with You-Know-Who and all that," Ron said dismissively. He turned to the next card he had dealt. Harry was still staring at the other card. It was of a woman tied to a chair and blindfolded with eight swords surrounding her. He had been sure that he had seen her struggling for a moment.

"The next card is the King of Swords…Harry, are you listening?" Ron said, waving a hand in front of Harry's eyes.

"Hmmm? Yes…I'm listening…" Harry said, tearing his gaze away from the card.

"Okay. It's the King of Swords, and it's supposed to mean rationality, or sound advice, or a keen intellect. It says that the people it represents are leaders, and people who enjoy learning. It also says that it represents unemotional, aloof, intelligent, independent and analytical men who have good judgement and give sound advice, but we all know that isn't you at all," Ron said, grinning at Harry.

"It's a load of hosh-posh."

"Maybe," Harry said, staring at the cards. Ron picked up the King of Swords and stared at it, before dropping it. 

"It moved!" He said, startled. "It nodded its head at me!" He handed the card to Harry, and watched the card over his shoulder. The king looked at Harry gravely for a moment before kneeling and touching the blade of his sword to his forehead. Harry dropped the card, face pale. Ron didn't seem to notice.

"It only nodded at me," He said, disappointed. 

"Maybe it was because it was from my reading," Harry suggested. Ron seemed to like the idea.

"That must be it," He said, picking up the card and studying it again. It was still, and Ron put the card down disappointedly. 

"Oh well," He said. "The lesson's almost over, so I don't have time to do another and see if they do the same thing…"

Just as Ron finished his sentence Trelawney informed them that it was time to move on to their next class.

"You may keep your decks with you so that you can gain a better understanding of them. If you do not treat the cards well they will be unresponsive next time you use them," She said, smiling at Lavender and Pavarti as they both began to chatter on about trying another reading tonight. Harry and Ron packed up their Divination equipment and began to head down out of the tower. Harry pulled out his timetable and examined it, before giving a groan.  
"What's wrong?" Ron said, although he looked like he had already guessed the reason for the sudden dip in Harry's already gloomy mood. Harry turned to him, despair in his eyes.

"Potions is next," He said dully.

Ron groaned. "Great. Just what we need. A lesson with Snape and the Slytherins, right after Divination. At least things can't get any – "

Harry clapped a hand on Ron's mouth, stopping him from finishing the sentence. Ron looked at him, surprised.

"What's wrong, Harry? Besides the obvious I mean," He asked after he had pulled Harry's hand from his mouth.

"You were going to jinx it," Harry said solemnly.

"What?"

"Everyone knows that when something bad happens and someone says what you were going to say that things _always_ get worse," Harry told him.

"Oh. Lucky you stopped me then," Ron grinned, trying to lighten the mood that they had fallen into.

"Yeah. We'd better get to Potions though, or Snape will give us detention for being late," Harry said, and led the way towards the dungeons. 


	22. Doppelgangers

Chapter 22 for you all. Enjoy!

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Also, join METMA at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/METMA_members

**__**

Disclaimer- I own nothing but the plot.

**__**

Chapter Twenty-Two

"My Gods, Longbottom, you would think that you might have improved over the four years I've been teaching you, but you seem to have gotten worse! You are the most inept student I have had during my career as a teacher!" Snape yelled at Neville, towering over the cowering student. "If you hadn't been lucky enough to have been paired with Mr. Potter – who seems to have at least some _slight_ ability – you might have been covered with fur and searching for a hole to crawl into by now!"

The class had been attempting to make the Brevis Animagus Potion which they would be using later in Transfiguration to find out what their animagus forms would be, when Neville's potion – as it usually does – went awry. Snape had, of course, deducted points from Gryffindor and was currently chewing out Neville for his inability. Poor Neville was looking like he wanted to find a hole to crawl into even without the potion.

"Next time it happens you might not be so lucky! If anything like this _ever_ happens again you are going to wish that Mr. Potter hadn't been here to save you!" Snape snapped, before spinning on his heel and striding to the front of the classroom. "You will start your potion again and if it is not finished by the end of class you will continue on into lunch time."

"Yes Sir," Neville choked out. Snape paid no mind to him, choosing to praise Malfoy on his potion-making skills instead.

"I'm never going to get this done," Neville said quietly, face pale. Harry glanced at him and sighed. 

"You're fine at preparing the ingredients Neville, you just don't seem to be able to mix them together in the right way. I've finished my potion, so how about you get the ingredients ready and I tell you how to put them in?"

"Could you?" Neville said, hope brightening his face. "Thanks a lot, Harry."

They began to work on the potion together. Harry's plan worked surprisingly well, and soon the potion was bubbling away, complete except for one ingredient.

"You'll need a pair of scales for this one Neville," Harry said as he pulled out some fairy wings from Neville's supplies.

"Okay," Neville said, turning towards the cupboard that held them.

"Don't bother, I'll get them," Harry said, waving his hand.

"Accio scales."  
A pair landed on the bench beside Harry and, unnoticed, glowed gold for the smallest fraction of a second. Neville, however, didn't begin to prepare the fairy wings.

"Harry? Do wizards kill fairies to get their wings?" Neville asked in a small voice.

Harry glanced at him. "No, Neville. Once a year all the fairies lose their old set of wings and grow a new pair. That's how we get them."  
"Oh," Neville said, relieved, and began to chop up the wings finely, weighing the amount he had prepared regularly.

"Mr. Longbottom, just _what_ do you think you are doing?" Snape's voice echoed loudly through the dungeon, scaring Neville so much that he knocked the pair of scales off the bench.

"I-I-I – " Neville stuttered, staring up at Snape, who had crossed the room silently and was now looming over him. "I-I was just making my potion, Professor…"

Snape, however, was not listening to Neville.

"Mr. Potter, do you think that you should be helping Mr. Longbottom? I wonder how you came to be under that impression, as I did _not_ give permission for you to assist him!" Snape sneered. Harry looked back up at him, eyes taking on the look they did when he spotted the snitch.

"I don't see why you should have a problem with it, Sir, especially since you don't seem to mind Malfoy helping Blaise with his potion, even though you didn't give permission," Harry said calmly.

Snape's eyes narrowed. "Ten points from Gryffindor for attempting to undermine a Professor's authority."  
Harry's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't appear to be looking at Snape. In fact, it seemed as if he was looking at something no one else could see. After a second his eyes returned to normal.

"Get down," He murmured, looking back at Snape.

"Mr. Potter, do you really think I am stupid enough to – "

"Get _down_!" Harry hissed, grabbing Professor Snape's wrist and pulling him to the floor, as well as Neville. A split second after he had pulled Severus down a barrage of multi-coloured light shot through the air where the Professor, Harry and Neville had been a moment before. It was followed by a familiar green flash, before an arrow thudded into the wall, embedding itself into the bricks of the wall at the end of the room. The arrow began to hum slightly, and an image shot out of it. A gasp echoed through the class, as thirty-odd memories flashed back to the time when they used Memorius Privatus to regain Harry's memories, and the image of a graveyard projected onto a wall.

"Oh my," You-Know-Who said, amusement filtering into his voice. "It looks like poor old Dumbledore is going to have to find another Potions Teacher…"

A/N – Wouldn't you hate it if I left it here? Don't worry though, I'm not planning to…just messing with your minds…

Harry blinked, staring at the image being projected from the end of the arrow.

'That's it. It's just an image…it can't see that Snape isn't dead!' Harry thought.

The image turned towards Harry. "Don't presume that just because I'm not the real thing I can't see you, Harry. I am real enough to be able to watch you, and I'm _definitely_ real enough to be able to cast a few spells that just might happen to harm some of your classmates. Wouldn't it be a pity if one of them ended up dead? I think you'll agree with me when I say that it would be best if you didn't try anything…"

Harry gulped. 'Scratch that idea. So why doesn't he know that Snape isn't dead?'

Harry glanced around, expecting to see the Potions Master standing up, and getting the students out. He didn't see him however, and turned slightly to check on Neville. Snape was kneeling beside him, healing a gash on Neville's forehead that he must have gotten when Harry pulled him down. Harry nudged him lightly with his foot. Severus turned, ready to take points from Gryffindor, when he noticed the projection.

"Stay there," Harry whispered to him. "He doesn't know that you're still alive."

Snape nodded. Harry was slightly surprised at that, he was sure that the Professor would protest at being told what to do by a student. He turned back to Voldemort's doppelganger. 

"What do you want?"

Voldemort smirked. "Sit down, Harry. Sit down and then we can…talk…"


	23. Strange Alliances.

Chapter twenty-three…I went to see The Lord Of the Rings: Fellowship Of The Rings yesterday. It was pretty good, if a little repetitive. It left it in an awful place though, and now I'll have to read the books…*sighs* You'll all be pleased to know that I finally got my butt into gear and chapter twenty-five is over four times the usual word length of the chapters, and twenty-six has barely even started and is already almost at the usual word limit. You'll all kill me when you read chapter twenty-five though, trust me. On second thoughts, don't. I'm not a very trustworthy person…

**__**

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Come now, Harry. Don't you want to be comfortable for our little chat?" Voldemort laughed. Harry remained standing.

"There is no way I'll ever be comfortable with you in the room Tom, so I think I'll stay standing, thanks."

A frown crossed Voldemort's face. "Don't call me that."

"Why? It is your real name, you know, and you did respond to it."

Voldemort scowled at him for a moment, before smiling again.

"How does it feel to be responsible for another death, Potter? That's two in about a month, isn't it? So sad, really. The little golden child causing so much pain. How could you? They all had families, too," He sneered at Harry.

"I wasn't responsible for either of their deaths and you know it."  
"Do you really believe that? I'm sure others don't."  
"It doesn't matter to me what others think. As long as I know that I didn't kill them, I'll be fine. I'm not that easy to crush, Tom. I've spent fourteen years of my life living with the worst muggles there are, I know what you're trying to do. While we're on the topic of deaths though, how does it feel for you? You have the blood of millions on your hands, and the weight of their deaths on your shoulders. How does it feel to know that, Tom? How does it feel to know your own mother died because of you?"

"Never talk about her to me!" The image screamed, raising its wand.

"_Crucio_!"

Several people screamed as the spell hit Harry, but none of them were him. He stood still, staring at Voldemort. The curse died away, and Voldemort laughed.

"A little taste of what is to come, Harry dear, just a little taste."

"Pain can be ignored, Voldemort, if the person in pain has a strong enough will," Harry retorted.

"We'll see. _Crucio_."  
Harry's hand shot forward, taking the weight of the curse.

"I've had _enough_," Harry ground out, teeth clenched. His hand closed tightly into a fist, and the arrow exploded. A shield shot up around the people nearest to it and the shrapnel shot off it to form a pile on the floor. The pieces of wood burst into flame as the image died away.

There was silence for a moment, then everyone started talking at once.

"How did that happen?"  
"What did he do?"  
"How did he know where Harry would be?"

"ENOUGH!" Snape had stood up from where he had been crouching and was looking about ready to boil someone alive.  
YOU TWO!! TAKE CARE OF THE CLASS!! YOU! COME WITH ME!" He roared, pointing at Hermione and Draco first, then at Harry. When Harry didn't move he grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the room.

"AND I DON'T WANT TO HERE A SINGLE NOISE FROM IN HERE!" He shouted, before slamming the door of the potions classroom shut. There was silence for a moment before a babble of voices broke out again, the loudest being that of Hermione, who was trying desperately to get everyone to return to their seats. No one noticed a small glow follow the two out of the room.

Snape walked a little way down the corridor before stopping and leaning against a wall, drawing in a deep breath. Harry slumped against the wall beside him and slid down it to sit on the stone floor, cradling his arm. There was silence for a moment.

"Jesus," Snape said eventually, sliding down the wall to sit by Harry.

"Agreed."  
"You seem awfully calm, considering what just happened."  
Harry shrugged. "Believe it or not you get used to it. You're handling it pretty well."  
"What?"  
"Well, Voldemort was actually after you, he just wanted to annoy me," Harry explained.

"He must have found out…" Snape said, trailing off.

"That you're a spy? Yes, I would think so." Harry laughed suddenly.

"What do you find so amusing, Potter?" Snape asked, a bit of the bite that usually filled his voice filtering back in.

"A muggle weapon!" Harry gasped. "He hates muggles but he had to use a muggle weapon!"

Snape glanced at him, noticing the way his arm seemed to hang at an odd angle.  
"You should be up at the Hospital Wing!" Snape gasped, shuddering as he noticed the bone of Harry's arm peeking through the skin. He reached out to lift Harry to his feet, but was waved away.  
"An arm injury doesn't affect my legs, Sir," Harry said, getting to his feet. "And I'm not the only one who should be in the Hospital Wing."  
"What?"  
Harry pointed to Snape's head. A large gash near his temple was leaking blood, and a bruise was starting to form around it.

Snape sighed. "Come on then."

Harry began to follow, then stopped. "Don't you think you should get someone to mind the class?"  
"I'm sure they at least have the level of maturity to stay quiet for five minutes," Snape said dryly.  
"Normally they would, but a projection of Voldemort just appeared in their classroom and their teacher was very nearly killed. On top of that you left a Gryffindor and a Slytherin – who don't have very good track records, I might add – in charge. I don't think it's going to stay very quiet for long."

Snape nodded, a small part of him realising that he was beginning to go into shock. "You're right. I'll tell Professor Flitwick when we pass his class."

With that the two set off, managing to make it to the Hospital Wing without killing or maiming one another.

Madam Pomfrey was not impressed with Harry and Severus, to say the least. She looked suspiciously at Professor Snape, who protested that it wasn't his fault.

"Well, just about every time he ends up here you are nearby, it seems!" She said. Snape scowled at her. "At least it didn't take me two weeks to find a simple memory loss cure!"

Pomfrey reddened. "There were complications!"

"Complications, hah! The only complication was your lack of ability!"

"Excuse me, but we did come here for a reason other than to let you two yell at each other," Harry said quietly.

Pomfrey glared at Severus once more before turning to Harry, and healing his arm. Once she had bandaged it for support she flicked her wand irritably at Severus, healing the gash on his head. As she turned to fetch more bandages, her eyes widened. She pointed wordlessly towards the door, and a small glow that had slipped underneath it. The glow grew to become a pair of golden scales, and a hologram flickered into life. A tall, thin man wearing black robes appeared. He looked around the room irritably, before his eyes settled on Harry and he scowled.

"You. Sit down. It's time we had a little chat."


	24. Setting the stage...

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READ THIS!!!!!!!!! IF YOU DON'T READ THIS YOU WON'T GET CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE!!!!!!! Okay, now that I've got your attention I have a few things to say. I've been considering posting chapter twenty-five a little while after this. It depends how many people review and tell me if they want me to in the time I'm still online – about two hours from now in Australian time. That makes it at ten to two in the afternoon when I get off. If I do stick it up I probably won't update for two weeks after that so that I can get a little ahead again. I may update, but I will probably wait two weeks. It's your decision.

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**__**

Chapter Twenty-Four 

Harry blinked. "And you are…?"

The tiny figure scowled even harder, if that was possible. "You don't even know who I am? And you're supposed to have beaten a Dark Wizard!"

Harry sighed. "Listen closely, I'm only going to explain this once. I was a baby. I have no idea what happened. I didn't defeat him either, I just nearly did. There's a difference. And if I have to explain this to you again, little man, you will regret it." Harry's voice had sunk to a low whisper that still managed to project through the whole room, and his eyes seemed to have turned into shards of green glass, glinting dangerously.

The apparition bristled. "Who are you calling a little man, hmmm?"  
"You."  
That seemed to stump him. "Oh. That wasn't the answer I was looking for, you know."

Harry smirked. "I know that, would you believe. That's why I said it."

The little figure rolled his eyes. "You're as bad as bloody Gryffindor, you know. He used to always twist what I was saying too. And they say I was devious. Hah!"

He was rewarded with a blank look. "Oh for pity's sake! Do I really have to introduce myself?" He glanced at them and when they made no move to say anything, he sighed, then bowed extravagantly. "Salazar Slytherin, at your service."

Harry blinked. "Are you? Why are you here then?"

"Because I've been following you around trying to get you to notice me for the past three days! I'm surprised, actually – You haven't said 'You can't be Slytherin' or 'I don't believe you' yet. Why?"  
"Withholding judgement," Harry said simply. 

"Ah. A normal person wouldn't bother with that, you know."

"You said it yourself – I'm supposed to have defeated a Dark Wizard. Do you think anyone can be normal with that kind of reputation?"  
"If they try hard enough," Salazar said absently. "Anyway, the point is I have a gift for you, and you've been ignoring it."  
"Why would you have a 'gift' for me, and what is the catch?"  
Salazar shot him a look of mock-hurt. "Can't family give gifts to each other without raising suspicion any more?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Family? Explain."  
"You mean you weren't told? You're related to me on your father's side. You also managed to acquire the Parseltongue ability, which makes you my heir."  
"Voldemort seems pretty set on being your heir. He's killed several million in you name, in fact," Harry observed. 

Salazar shifted uncomfortably. "Well…I suppose he could be, but what he's been doing is unacceptable! Just because I don't want Wizards from muggle families in Hogwarts doesn't mean I want them killed. I just think they shouldn't be taught magic – it would put them in danger if some muggles found out."  
"And they'd be in danger anyway because they wouldn't be able to control their abilities."  
Salazar shrugged. "That's not what we're here to discuss anyway. You're my rightful heir, so you get the scales. There's no way I'm going to let Mr. Let's Kill All The Muggles get a hold of them." Slytherin hopped off the scales gestured at them.

"I already have a pair of scales, thanks."  
Salazar scowled. "Don't go getting smart with me, young man! These scales are special. They don't just weigh potions ingredients, you know!"  
"What do they weigh then?"  
Salazar winked conspiratorially at him. "They weigh souls."

"Wow. And I want to do that…why?"

"You're completely ruining this, you know. I was supposed to appear and hand you the scales and you were supposed to be happy and grateful and amazed. I hope you're satisfied. The scales weigh the amount of integrity in a person's soul. That's why I don't want Voldemort getting them, and that's why you're getting them. They should be safe with you, and they'll help you next time you see our dear Dark Lord."

"Uh huh," Harry said sceptically.

"You don't think I'm telling the truth, do you? Try them out. You'll see," Slytherin said, smirking.

"How?" Harry asked.

Salazar shrugged. "How should I know? They were created specifically for you, only you can use them."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Then how do you know they will work?"  
"I don't," Said Salazar cheerfully. "Now go ahead and try them."

Harry sighed and looked at the scales. 

"Salazar. Slytherin. Hogwarts. Wizard. Witch…" He began to list words, still staring at the scales.

"What are you doing?" Slytherin asked, blinking in surprise.

"Seeing if you put a password on these things and forgot."  
"There aren't any passwords and I wouldn't have forgotten it if I had put one on!"

"Well if you had decided to figure out how the bloody things work before handing them over – "

Harry stopped and glared at the scales, before slamming them down onto the side of the bed closest to him.

"You've obviously made a mistake. I'm not related to you, and the scales aren't meant for me," He announced.

"You won't know until you try them, will you? Now stop being such a child, pick them up and give it a go."

Harry glared at Salazar for a moment, decided it wasn't worth the effort, and picked the scales up again. 

"Alright, let's give it a go," He sighed.

He held the scales out and studied them, noticing all the intricate carvings on the side.

"What are these?" He asked, pointing at them.

"Hmm? Oh, they're the inscriptions that say who the scales were made for. Everything points towards you," Slytherin answered absently, staring around the room in fascination.

Harry wasn't paying attention though. His eyes had clouded over and his expression had become vacant. He slowly raised the hand holding the scales towards Madam Pomfrey, who was looking at him strangely.

"Show," He whispered, his voice so quiet it could have been mistaken for the wind if the three others in the room had not seen his lips move. A bright ray of silver and green shot out of the scales and hit Madam Pompfrey, before fading away. The scales were not the same, however. On one end – the heavier end by far – was a glowing feather, and on the other end was a lump of metal that looked like lead.

"What happened?" Madam Pompfrey asked quietly, staring at the scales.

"He figured out how to use them. I knew he would – he'd have to have some smarts after all, being related to me," Salazar answered her, a faint look of pride on his face.

The blank look on Harry's face faded, and he sank back onto the bed behind him, staring at the scales. After a moment he looked up, seemingly realising that the three adults were still there. 

"I'd like to be left alone for a little while, if you don't mind," He whispered hoarsely. Madam Pompfrey swelled.

"You most certainly won't be left alone! We need to inform Headmaster Dumbledore of this at once!"

Snape, who had watched the proceedings with a quiet interest, grabbed hold of the irate healer.

"He needs to be left alone, so we'll leave him alone," He said. Madam Pompfrey began to say something, but stopped when Severus leaned forward and whispered something in her ear.

"Fine. You can stay here for a little while, but then it's off to classes with you. I have some errands to run and I expect you to be gone by the time I get back," She told him, moving out of the room. Snape followed quickly after her. Salazar watched them go, before turning back to Harry.

"You've done me proud, Harry. I have to go now, but remember that you have the strength of Slytherin behind you, and with that nothing can get in your way unless you let it…" Slytherin told Harry, fading away as he did so.

Harry watched him go quietly. When the room was finally empty he slowly lay down on the bed, and curled up into the foetal position. After a few minutes he began to cry.


	25. The Phoenix and photo album.

Okay, enough people asked so here it is. You're all going to kill me, but at this point I don't really care. My wrists are sore. The neighbour's cat scratched them when I was taking it back home before our dog got it. It looks like I've had a really bad go at a suicide attempt then got scared and flaked. Suicide by cat…

**__**

Chapter Twenty-Five

Harry sighed as he finished buttoning up his robe. Tonight was the night he had to meet Dumbledore, and he was not looking forward to having to lie to Ron and Hermione. He walked slowly down towards the common room, feeling for all the world as if he was heading towards his doom. As he emerged from the staircase, Ron looked up from the chess game he was playing to see him.

"Hey Harry. Where're you going?" He asked, moving one of his pawns to take Hermione's last bishop.

"To the Hospital Wing. I haven't been sleeping well, and I thought that maybe Madam Pompfrey might have something to help me," Harry said.

'It isn't a lie, really,' He told himself. 'You are having trouble sleeping and you _will_ see Madam Pompfrey after you've visited Dumbledore. It's more like withholding information. Not even that really - they didn't ask if I was doing anything before I went.'

Ron grimaced. "I know. I have to sleep in the same dormitory as you, remember?"  
Harry paled. "I didn't realise I was waking you, Ron. I'm sorry."  
Dean, who had been listening to the conversation, grinned. "Don't worry, Harry. After the first few times we wised up and wrote home for some earplugs."

"What? Since when have you all had earplugs? And why didn't you tell me?" Ron asked Dean, enraged.

"Why Ron, we thought you would have come to the same conclusion as the rest of us," Seamus said mellowly, knocking over the card castle that he had been building. "I mean, even Neville decided to get some after the first few nights."

"Thanks so much for telling me, you two. Real friends you are," Ron said sourly, and swore as his King was checked by Hermione's rook.

"What have you been dreaming about anyway, Harry? It must be pretty bad for you to have that kind of reaction," Ron said as he moved his King away from the offending rook.

Harry shrugged. "I don't really want to go into it."

Ron looked at him sharply. "What? Don't you trust us or something?"

Hermione glanced up. "Yes, Harry. You seem to be withholding something from us. What's wrong?"  
Harry gulped. "It doesn't matter."  
"Don't bother, Hermione. He obviously doesn't consider us trustworthy enough to tell us what is wrong," Ron said angrily, moving his Queen forward to take Hermione's.

"It's better for you both not to know. You'll only end up getting hurt," Harry said. 'Or worse,' He finished silently.

"So now you're saying that we can't look after ourselves?" Ron demanded.

"No, I ---"

"Always got to be the perfect one, don't you Harry? But in reality you are nothing, and you know it! You're just a scared little boy with an ugly scar on his forehead!" Ron shouted. The rest of the common room fell silent, and turned to watch.

Harry's head was whirling. 'Is that what he really thinks of me? That I'm perfect? If only he knew...'

Ron watched surprise and hurt flicker across Harry's face, before his eyes hardened. Harry seemed to grow above him, and Ron suddenly realised just how much taller Harry was compared to him. 

"If that is the way you feel," Harry said coldly, "There is no further use in me being here, is there?"

He whirled and headed towards the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"That's right, run! Just like the scared little boy you are. By the way, I realised something today. It isn't just your father you resemble. You look like Snape as well!" Ron yelled after him. Harry paused just before the opening, and for a moment Ron thought that he was going to turn around and curse him. After a moment Harry's shoulders slumped, however, and he shook his head once before stepping through the portal, his voice floating back to the room.

"Better to look like him then to be forever thought of as a carbon copy of my father."

Ron turned around to find everyone in the room looking at him.

"Well? Was there something?" He snarled, and watched in satisfaction as everyone turned away and went back to what they had been doing. Ron sat down again, to find Hermione looking at him. As soon as his eyes connected with hers she looked back to the chess game, and reached out to move a pawn.

"Checkmate."

Harry strode down the corridor away from the common room, his mind blank. He had found out long ago that it was best not to think about things like the fight until he had calmed down, otherwise it was possible that he might start crying. When he was younger and had to deal with Dudley's gang and the other school bullies he found that it was better to show no weakness than cry, because if you cried they just kept coming back again and again. On the other hand, they tended to beat you longer if you did not cry. He was just about to step out onto a set of stairs when they disappeared. He cursed loudly, and began to take the long way round. After slipping through several damp passages and travelling up several flights of stairs he found himself standing beside the gargoyle that guarded Professor Dumbledore's office.

"Blood pops," He told it, and it began to move aside.

"Certainly a lot of people going in tonight. Is there a meeting?" The gargoyle asked, and huffed when Harry passed by it without replying.

Harry knocked on the door of Dumbledore's office, not wanting to just walk in. Dumbledore opened the door, and smiled. 

"Ah, Harry. We've been waiting for you," He said. "I've talked to the other members, and we all agreed that it is best to let you join. Come on inside, and welcome to your first meeting as a member or the Order of the Phoenix."

Harry walked into the room, glancing about at the people there. To his surprise he saw Sirius and Arabella, as well Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Snape. Snape scowled at him as he stared, and Harry suddenly got the feeling that not all the other members had agreed to let him join after all.

"Now, down to business. Two days ago Harry suffered some rather...ah...disturbing dreams. These were no ordinary dreams, however. Harry has been known to dream of current events concerning Voldemort, and I believe that this particular dream was one of those."  
"Was Mundungus in it?" Arabella asked softly. Her eyes were shining with what looked suspiciously like tears, and her voice wavered.

Dumbledore looked at her gravely. "I believe so, Arabella. I'm sorry."

Ms. Figg gave a choked sob, and Remus patted her back gently.

"We need to get him out of there," Sirius said. "Who knows what kind of things they could be doing to him? He could be being tortured, for all we know!"  
Harry's mind flashed back to the dream before he could stop himself, and he paled.

"Thumbscrews..." He murmured, looking down.

"What?" Sirius said sharply, turning towards Harry.  
"In the dream...Voldemort was there. Mundungus...if that's who it was, was tied to a table. Voldemort was using thumbscrews on him," Harry explained shakily, looking away from Arabella.

"Oh my God," She whispered, a hand coming up to cover her mouth.

"Can you remember anything else from the dream?" Snape asked, eyes flashing.

"The...the air was cold. Smelled of snow. Smell of snakes as well," Harry said, eyes becoming dull. "Floor was...stone. Old. Lots of cracks. Large room, no fire. Light...was a lamp. And a wand. Table...steel. Laughing...screams. Small window...colours flashing in the sky. Smell of blood. Deatheaters..."  
"Harry? Stop, it's okay. There's no need..." Arabella said, eyes flashing sharply.

"Taste of metal in the air. Smell of trees. Pine. Snow." Harry's eyes snapped back into focus. "That's all I can remember."

"What was that about colours in the sky?" Snape said. Harry made the connection at the same time.

"The northern lights."

Arabella gaped at them. "What?"  
Harry turned to her. "The colours that I saw in the sky...they must have been the northern lights. They must be somewhere near the arctic ocean, most probably in a large country with very severe winters and a lot of space."

"Then they are most probably in Russia," Dumbledore announced. "My contacts haven't informed me of Voldemort shifting position outside of Europe. Thank you for that information Harry, it will make things a lot easier for us to find him."  
Harry nodded slightly.

"Did you tell Weasley and Granger about this, Potter?" Snape asked suddenly, voice cold.

"About the meeting or the dream? I didn't tell them about either."

"That's good, Harry. However much I wish they could join the Order of The Phoenix, I rather doubt their families would approve."  
"Whereas mine wouldn't care if I died tomorrow," Harry said quietly. Dumbledore looked surprised and slightly worried.

"I didn't --"

Harry cut him off. "I'm sorry, that was callous and rude. Besides, you can't really count the Dursleys as family; the Professors here are more my family than them now."  
Dumbledore nodded, though he still looked a little worried.

"I doubt Ron and Hermione would have come anyway, after tonight," Harry said, smiling bleakly.

"What?" Sirius asked sharply, stepping towards Harry.

"It doesn't matter, Sirius. We aren't here to discuss my personal problems."  
Sirius grabbed Harry by the shoulders and knelt in front of him. "I am your Godfather, I have a right to know what happened." Harry stared back at him coolly, eyes hard.

"And I am your godson. I have a right to choose whether to tell you or not."  
Sirius frowned. "Harry, you will tell me or --"

"Memorius Animatus," Dumbledore's voice calmly cut through the din. The spell hit Harry, and the now familiar beam of light shot out of him, hitting the wall and playing the last few minutes he had spent in the Gryffindor tower. The spell ended quickly, and Harry slumped forward before turning towards Dumbledore, eyes accusing.

"I'm sorry, Harry," He said quietly. "But we need to know what is happening in your life so that we can be assured of your capability."  
Harry sighed, and turned away slightly, before nodding.

"I find the problems with the dreams rather disturbing, however. I do not believe a sleeping potion is a wise solution as we may lose valuable information this way. We cannot allow you to continue disturbing the other boys though, it could be costly to their marks."  
"Professor Dumbledore, why don't we move him into another room? I believe the room that used to hold the philosopher's stone is now empty, and it would not take much work to turn it into a satisfactory bedroom. I believe that is what it originally was, in fact," Professor McGonagall suggested.

"Brilliant idea, Minerva. Did anyone else have anything of importance to tell us?" Dumbledore addressed the crowded room, and when no one stepped forward he smiled.

"Then this meeting is adjourned."

"Harry?" 

Sirius' voice pulled Harry out of the state of near-sleep he had been in, and Harry rose slowly from the chair he had collapsed in after the meeting.

"Mmmm?" He murmured, opening one eye to study the face of his godfather, noting the slight lines of worry around his eyes.

"The room is ready. You have to go and collect you things, okay?" Sirius laid a hand on his godson's shoulder.

'When did he become so distant?' Sirius thought. 'When did I lose the boy I'd only just gained?'

"Umph...can't I do it in the morning?" Harry mumbled, his eye sliding shut again.

Sirius grinned. "Sorry Harry, but you have Snape first and I don't think he'd be pleased if you skipped his lesson in favour of shifting into a new room."  
"Okay," Harry sighed. He stood slowly and walked out of the room, heading past the now-asleep gargoyle, and to the stairs that led up to the tower. This time the stairs cooperated with him and he made it without having to take any detours. He walked into the common room, silently praying that Ron and Hermione had already gone to bed. He really didn't want to have to face them right now. This was not to be, however. They were sitting by the fire, talking quietly. Ron looked up as Harry walked in and sent a sneer that could have rivalled one of Draco's his way. Harry ignored him in favour of one of the rooms other occupants.

"Dudley. What are you doing here?" Harry asked quietly, disguising his surprise. He had thought that Petunia and Dudley had returned to their house, but evidently this was not so.

Dudley looked up from the book he had been studying. 

'My photo album,' Harry realised with a shock.

"Waiting for you," Dudley said, narrowing his piggy eyes.

"Why?"

Dudley slowly heaved himself to his feet. "It's your fault that my father is in jail."  
Harry stared. "Dudley, it's his own fault. It was his decision to do what he did."  
"No it's not! He only hurt you, and you don't matter! Why should I have to live alone with Mum?" Dudley screamed, spittle flying from his mouth and reminding Harry of the night that he had tackled Vernon.

"He would have ended up hurting you as well, Dudley. He pulled a gun on you, remember?"  
"He wouldn't have used it! He would never have hurt me!"

"Do you really believe that?" Harry asked, taking a step forward.

"Shut up! You took something important of mine away, so it's only fair that you lose something precious too. Say goodbye to your parents, Harry," Dudley sneered, swinging his hand holding the album out over the fire.

"NO!" Harry screamed, diving towards Dudley. It was too late. The book fell, tumbling into the white-hot embers and catching alight immediately. Harry sank to his knees beside the hearth and, ignoring the flames, pulled the album out. He patted it with his hands, ignoring the pain shooting up his arms and trying desperately to stop the flames from fully devouring the book. A picture fell out, curling slightly around the edges as it smouldered. Realising that there was no way he could save the book, Harry concentrated on the photograph. He picked it up and watched in horror as it crumbled to ashes in his palm.

"No..." He murmured. "NO!"

Jumping to his feet, Harry turned to face Dudley, barely noticing Neville, pale-faced, slip out of the room.

"You," He growled, wand suddenly in his hand and eyes alight with fury. Then Dudley did the worst thing he could have done. He laughed. The sound seemed to float through Harry's head, bringing up images of Dudley punching him, the time he had stolen his homework because he had been too lazy to complete his own, when Dudley had tied him to a tree, slammed his face into the trunk several times and left him. A bright flash of light issued from Harry's wand, and instead of the laughing Dudley was a tiny maggot, writhing on the floor. Harry stared at it for a moment before sinking to his knees and picking up the album with trembling hands, watching as small pieces of ash wafted off the front. Slowly, silently, he began to sob. 

Neville scurried down the corridor away from the common room.

"He shouldn't have done that, he shouldn't have do that, he _so _shouldn't have done that," He muttered to himself, looking about for someone, anyone.

"_Who_ shouldn't have done what?" a cool voice asked from a tiny alcove in the wall, and Neville almost choked when Professor Snape stepped out of the shadows.

"He...Harry...Dudley...burn..." He stuttered, fear clouding his mind. Snape rolled his eyes.

"If you don't answer me in a tone and voice faintly resembling coherent, I will fail you in potions," He informed Neville.

Neville gulped.

"D-Dudley...was in the Common Room. Someone let him in. Don't know who. He got Harry's photo album. He...he burned it."  
Snape raised an eyebrow. "And this is a reason to come out of the common room? I'm sure Mr. Potter will be able to collect more pictures."

Neville shook his head slowly. "Not these ones, P-Professor. The album was a gift from Hagrid to Harry in first year. It was full of pictures of his parents."

Snape sucked in his breath. "Come on. I just hope that idiot muggle is still alive." 

Silence filled the common room and was echoed by a silence inside Harry's head. There was just an incredible numbness that was resulting in complete lack of thought. Harry was vaguely aware that someone was crying, but he couldn't pinpoint the sound. All of his attention was focussed on the burnt volume in front of him. A droplet of water fell onto the blackened cover, and Harry wiped it away with a shaking finger. Where had it come from? Another droplet soon followed, and the thought that perhaps it was coming from him eventually occurred to him. He raised the same finger to his face and felt a wetness on his cheeks, tasted a salty liquid on his lips. And as the thought occurred to him others began to follow, and with these thoughts sound began to return to the room. Whispered questions and hushed replies filled his ears, creating a sound that, for a moment, reminded him of the night in the graveyard when he had come face to face with Voldemort. The sound of the Fat Lady creaking open made him look up to see Neville standing beside Snape. Harry stared at the two for a moment before looking back to the album and running a hand across its ruined cover, watching the two tears blend with the ashes to coat his fingertips in a black, chalky substance.

Severus didn't know what he was expecting to see when he entered the common room, but it definitely was not what he found. People were standing around the edges of the round room, whispering and pointing at the crouched figure that was Harry in the centre of the room. Harry looked up as he heard the portrait creak open, and stared at the two in the doorway for a moment. The look in his eyes terrified Snape. He had seen many emotions in Harry's eyes over the years. Fear, confusion, pride, honour, determination, hatred...but none of them compared to the look of lost helplessness he saw now. Severus watched, speechless, as Harry ran a hand over the cover of the volume he held. The child's hands were burnt and starting to blister, Severus noted, but the boy didn't seem to feel the pain. Snape took a step forward.

"Harry?" He said gently, knowing that anything could push Harry over the edge at the moment. The boy looked up again, disinterest in his eyes.

"Where is Dudley?" Snape asked. Harry pointed wordlessly to the ground in front of him before returning his attention to the book. Severus stared at the ground for a moment before spotting a small, wriggling maggot.

"Very fitting, I should think," He noted quietly, kneeling before pulling a vial out of his robes and capturing the pupae in it. He stood and moved towards Harry, reached down a hand and pulled him to his feet. He did not resist, but he didn't relinquish his grasp on the photo album.

"Let's collect your things, Harry," Severus said, leading the boy up to the dormitories. As they emerged in the rooms above Echolalia flew over to them, chattering worriedly to Harry. When he did not reply she settled on his head and lightly tugged at his hair. Sebastian, hissing softly, wrapped himself around Harry's right arm and shoulders. There was silence for a moment, before a fluttering sound was heard. Hedwig appeared from the common room stairs to land on Harry's slightly-raised left arm. Severus watched this in silence before picking up Hedwig's cage and setting it on top of his trunk, casting a weightlessness spell and lifting the case. 

"Come on, Harry," He said in the same gentle voice as he headed back down to the common room. Harry turned listlessly and followed him.

The whispers that had again filled the common room faded as the two appeared from above. Neither of the pair said anything until they reached the portal out of the common room.

"Ronald Weasley." Snape's voice cracked out like a whip over the heads of those in the room. A tiny first year burst into tears at the sound.

"You will report to my classroom directly after your final class for the next three days to serve out your detentions." With that, Severus led Harry from the room, the Fat Lady portrait closing with a very final 'click' behind them.

Harry tried not to think about what had happened as Snape guided him down the hall by his elbow. Memories of the pictures kept interfering, however. Images of his mother and father holding him, of his mother cooking breakfast in her pyjamas, of his father sitting down, opening the paper and beginning to read it upside down. The picture of his parent's wedding night with Sirius when he had been young and happy, of Remus when he hadn't been alone...and of his favourite. Lily laughing and hovering about thirty feet in the air holding a giggling Harry while James shouted for them to be careful from below. He shut his eyes and drew in a deep, shuddering breath.

'I will not cry. I won't give Dudley the satisfaction of making me cry twice in one day. There is no way. I won't cry,' The thought echoed around Harry's head, and became a mantra.

"Potter?" Snape's voice interrupted Harry from concentrating on those words.

"Yes, Professor?" Harry forced himself to answer, keeping his voice neutral.

"I believe that Madam Pompfrey will want to attend to those burns. You will go to the Hospital Wing, and I will take these to your room."  
"Yes, Professor." Harry answered quietly. Neither mentioned the book clutched to Harry's chest, and either looked back as they headed off their separate ways.

"Dear Goddess, what have you been doing?!" Was Madam Pompfrey's reaction as she opened the Hospital Wing door to find Harry standing outside, still holding the book.

"Come in, come in. Sit down here, put the book down, let me have a look at your hands," She ordered him as she fussed about the shelves full of potions. Harry sat down on one of the empty beds. A child who seemed to have a bad cold and couldn't sleep stared at Harry curiously.

"Dear, put the book down," Madam Pompfrey said again, finding what she was looking for and returning to stand in front of him. Harry was silent for a moment before carefully placing the album down on the side of the bed and holding out his hands. Poppy took hold of one wrist and raised it slightly so that she could examine the burns better.

"Hmm...there isn't much we can do for burns. I'll put a poultice on your hands to get rid of the pain and bind them up, but other than that you will have to wait for them to heal naturally," She told him. She opened the bottle that had been removed from the shelf and began to apply the sickly-sweet smelling paste to Harry's hands. When she had finished with the paste she bound his hands up tightly in a white cloth, tsking quietly under her breath.

"There, all done. You'll have to come back once a day for the next week to get the bandage changed, and try to write as little as you can during the week, okay? You should be able to use your wand a little as it is extremely light, but no strenuous activity," She told him. "I would prefer it if you stayed here for the night, but you don't have to."  
Harry shook his head. "I'd rather go back to my room, thank you."

"Well, okay then. Goodnight dear, and next time _please_ try to be a little more careful. If you don't the teachers are going to start taking bets on how many times you will end up here each month."  
Harry nodded and smiled weakly, before picking up the album. Madam Pompfrey frowned.

"That should really be thrown out, Harry. There's no use in keeping it; it's ruined."  
Harry shook his head quickly. "I want to keep it. Please?" He added as he watched her.

"Well...I suppose, if it's that important to you. You have to promise me to stay out of trouble though, okay?"  
Harry nodded and, thanking the nurse once more, left the Wing.

Harry slowly opened the door that Fluffy had once lived behind, and walked into the room. It had changed a lot since he had last seen it. A fire crackled on one side of the room and a large bed was near it. A desk and a chair occupied the other side of the room, and tapestries that depicted historical events and showed fantastical creatures battling aged wizards and witches hung from the walls, and another door that Harry had not noticed in the first year appeared to lead off to a small bathroom. Professor Snape was standing by the fire, talking to Professor Dumbledore. They both turned to face Harry as they heard him enter.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly, walking over to him and placing a gentle hand on his back. Harry shrugged.

"There's nothing that can be done now," He said quietly, carefully placing the ruined album on the desk. He could feel Dumbledore's eyes on his back, and turned around to face him.

"I'm rather tired, Professor. I'd like to get some sleep, if you don't mind."  
Dumbledore nodded. "Of course, Harry. I have talked to Dobby and he has agreed to clean your room. All the facilities you will need are here, and the passage below has been kept open in case you feel the need to use it. You are excused from lessons tomorrow, so you can sleep in."

Harry nodded. "Where is he?"

"Where is who?" Dumbledore asked.

"My cousin."  
Dumbledore turned to Snape. "Severus?"  
Snape sighed, and handed over the vial. "I was planning on using him in one of my potions," He said regretfully.

Dumbledore's lips twitched. "A noble idea, Severus, but not one that I believe the Ministry of Magic will appreciate." He opened pocketed the glass tube, and turned back to Harry. "The next meeting will be in a week, at seven o'clock."  
Harry nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Dumbledore nodded, and, patting Harry's back once more, walked out of the room. Severus quickly followed.


	26. Saving Grace

**__**

IMPORTANT NOTICE

I know that a lot of you have been asking for longer chapters, and I've been thinking a lot over the past week. I've decided to give you three options. The first is that I continue posting like I have been and keep the chapters at the average size. The second option is that I write longer chapters and post what I have written every two weeks, and the third is that I write longer chapters and post them when I have finished them, not every two weeks. There will be a poll at my Yahoo group for you to vote on or you could just tell me in your review. Now that we've gotten that over with, happy reading! My cuts didn't get infected and are healing well, to all that asked. ;)

**__**

Chapter Twenty-Six

Harry rolled over in a vague attempt to land in a more comfortable position, whilst continuing to sleep. It didn't work. He sighed and rolled over a few more times, before throwing the bed sheets off of him and sitting up, running a hand through his hair irritably. He stood up, thumped his way down to the bathroom, splashed some water on his face and got dressed. When he walked back into the main room the first thing he saw made him draw in a quick breath, then let it out in a low hiss. It was his photo album. After he had woken up he had half managed to convince himself that last night had not happened; that it had all been a terrible, terrible nightmare. After staring at it for a moment he picked it up with trembling hands, and began to search through it, trying to find a picture that was not ruined. By the time he was half way through he had almost given up hope. The site of the burnt pages and ruined, empty pictures was getting to him, and he slowly flicked to the next page, preparing himself for the site he knew would greet him. One of the pages was just as burnt as all of the others, but the next page was different. Although the page was so burnt that large bits of ash crumbled off as he stared at it, the photo stuck to the page was not damaged. He slowly lifted it out of the book, not daring to breathe. It was a picture of his father with his arms wrapped around his mother possessively, and in his mother's arms a tiny child grinned, reaching up one hand to tug lightly on a wisp of his mother's hair that had fallen out of the loose ponytail it was bound in. As he watched she laughed and reached up to disentangle the hand, before caressing his cheek lightly and tickling one of his feet. He let out the breath slowly and placed the picture carefully on the desk beside the photo album. He opened his trunk and began to search through it. After a moment he pulled out an old quill that had managed to not be found when he had cleaned out his trunk at the end of the last year. He placed it on the desk and pointed his wand at it, concentrating on the imaged he wanted it to take. He muttered a few words under his breath and watched as the quill slowly shifted shape into a beautiful photo frame of burnished mahogany oak with some small, elegant carvings etched into the frame. He slid the picture into it and set it beside the bed, before sitting down and staring at it. He knew that there was no way the picture could have survived the flames without some kind of protection spells on it. He vaguely wondered who would want to put a protection spell on a picture, and why. After staring at it for a few minutes he stood and brushed his hair, not listening to the mirror's amused chuckles. 

"Oh, shut up," He told it eventually. "Just because my hair won't stay neat doesn't mean I shouldn't brush it."

The mirror hushed, and he put the brush down, looked once more at the photo, smiled as his mother waved to him, and walked out to go to breakfast. He knew that Dumbledore had said that he could have the day off, but he didn't think he'd be able to bear being alone with himself and his thoughts without some kind of activity to take his mind off what had happened – Even if it meant going to potions. 

Harry wandered into the potions classroom, ignoring the few people who had already arrived and began unpacking his kit. As he reached for the set of scales a small, golden glow came to his attention. He sighed and reached out for it instead, watching as the glow grew into the small set of golden scales he had received from Salazar. Fairly soon all of the class had arrived, and Professor Snape strode in. He looked a little surprised to see Harry sitting in the back row, but he covered it well.

"Get out your cauldrons. Today we'll be attempting to create the _Spirabilis Iaculari_ potion. You will be needing dragon's wing, snake fangs, wolfsbane, and poison ivy. The two plants will be added together and boiled for ten minutes over a blue flame before you add the dragon's wing. You will need to shred the wing before adding it and powdering the snake fangs is recommended unless you wish to be belching poison. The snake fang will be added after the dragon wing has been left to simmer with the rest of the ingredients for two minutes and ten minutes before the potion is removed from the flame. You're timing will have to be accurate so I would be using your eggtimers if I were you. Begin."

The classroom quickly became void of any noise other than the clink of glass on glass and the sounds of ingredients being prepared. Harry had paired up with Neville and managed to save the potion from becoming a new layer on the dungeon floor, although he couldn't prevent it turning out rather poorly. When they came to testing the potion instead of breathing fire Neville was coughing up sparks and tiny burning embers.

"I am warning you now, Mr. Longbottom, that you had better get some serious help with potions or you are going to fail the end of year finals," Professor Snape told him when he saw what had happened. Neville nodded miserably.

"Good. You will need to learn chapters twenty-seven through to thirty for homework as we will be starting the potions covered there next lesson. Remember to take your brevis animatus potions with you to Transfiguration, as I will not be permitting you to come into my class to retrieve them. Class dismissed."

The Gryffindors and Slytherins both cleaned up their potion – or what was left of it, in some cases – and headed on to their next class. 

"Hey, Harry?" Neville asked, running after him as they both headed towards Transfiguration. "Are you all right?"

Harry considered the question. "Probably the best I can be, considering the circumstances, Neville."

"Sorry. Harry I know it seems rude, but there have been these rumours going around…"

"What did you want to ask me, Neville?"

"Are you still on the Quidditch team?" The question was asked quickly, as if Neville wasn't certain he wanted to ask it in the first place. Harry stared at him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked. Neville blushed faintly.

"Well, people have been saying that you quit because of what Ron said and what your cousin did. There're even rumours of you transferring schools to Beauxbaton! I know that the last one can't be true because the teachers are your guardians now, but – "

Harry interrupted him. "You said yourself that they were rumours. That is all they are."

Neville nodded quickly. "Okay. It's just that, well, I don't think I'd be able to be on the team if you weren't any more. I know that people respect what you say when you tell them that I'll be okay, but they don't really believe it. If you weren't the Captain the person that replaced you might not want me to be on the team…" Neville said in a rush, looking away from Harry.

"It wouldn't matter whether they wanted you on or not, Neville. It's only your abilities and belief in yourself that matters," Harry told him. "Now come on, we have to get to class."

Harry and Neville barely made it in time – Peeves had decided that it would be fun to force the staircases to move just as they were crossing one. Professor McGonagall looked at the two with clear disapproval in her eyes for a moment before telling them to take a seat.

"Today we will be using the _brevis animatus_ potion to find out what form you would most probably take if you were to become an animagus. I would not go predicting that you will become unicorns and phoenixes if I were you; that only happens in very special cases. I trust you all have your potions here?"

Neville slowly raised his hand. "Professor? My potion didn't exactly work out."

Professor McGonagall sighed. "Would anyone mind sharing their potion with Mr. Longbottom? You will only remain in your animagus form for a shorter time if you do, I'm afraid."

"Ron's got plenty of it, Professor," Seamus said. Professor McGonagall nodded. 

"Neville, you will have to move up and sit next to Ron. I trust this is all right by you, Mr. Weasley?" 

Ron nodded, although he did not look too happy about it.

"You will need to find another place to sit then, Miss Granger."

She nodded and, after some hesitation, moved to sit next to Harry. He glanced at her before returning his gaze to McGonagall. 

"You will be coming up to the front of the class one at a time. Once you have drunk the potion you may experience a brief moment of panic and fear, but that is normal. Just remember that whatever you look like, you are still, essentially, you. Don't ever forget that. I don't expect us to finish today so don't worry if we run out of time, you will simply have your turn next lesson."

A Ravenclaw that Harry did not really know raised her hand. "What happens if we forget, Professor?"

McGonagall gazed at her for a moment. "You'll become an animal with some odd dreams about being human."

There was silence for a moment. "Oh. Why do we have to go separately, then? Wouldn't it be quicker to do a few people at a time?"

"What do you think would happen if someone became an eagle and another became a rabbit? It's hard to resist the urges of an animal the first few times you transform, and we don't want any incidents."

"I guess that makes sense," The Ravenclaw said, and sank back into her seat.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Now…Mr. Weasley, would you please come up to the front? It would make sense to get you and Mr. Longbottom out of the way first."

Ron obliged, walking out to the front and downing his half of the potion in one quick gulp. Nothing happened for a moment, then Ron was not there any more. Instead a red fox was standing on the ground, poised and ready to run. After a moment it relaxed and waved the tip of its tail slightly.

"He's so _cute_!" Lavender squealed, clapping her hands. "I always liked foxes!"

The Ron-fox seemed to glare at her for a moment before lying down in a corner and watching the class with one eye. Within five minutes he had transformed back into his usual form, standing up from the rather undignified heap he had been in and taking his seat.

"Alright, next person," Professor McGonagall said, and Neville stood. He was shaking slightly, and looked pale. He drank the potion quickly, however, before standing and waiting for the potion to take effect. Instead of shrinking, he grew. In a few seconds a beautiful panda was sitting at the front of the room, looking slightly confused. He transformed back after a few minutes and took his seat again, blushing slightly.

"Harry?" Hermione whispered. The rest of the class was too busy watching the transformations to pay any attention to the two down the back.

"What, Hermione?" He murmured, watching Pavarti become a peacock.

"Um…about last night…I know that you didn't really do anything, and that Ron was being really unfair, but…"

"It's okay, Hermione. You don't have to explain it."

She shook her head quickly. "No, I do. I mean…Well, you know how Krum and I broke it off over the holidays?"

Harry nodded. It had come as an extreme shock to Ron, but Harry suspected that he had been pleased with the turn of events.

"Well the reason Krum decided that we weren't going to work out is because he thought that I liked you. I didn't, and I don't like you in that way, Harry, but it got me to thinking about who and what I really cared about. And I soon found that the first person who came to mind was Ron…" She finished quietly, looking down at the desk so that her hair covered her face slightly. Harry got the impression that she was blushing.

He smiled. "I know, Hermione. I've been watching you two for ages, waiting for one of you to do something."

She smiled nervously. "The thing is, Harry…I don't want to lose what little chance I've got with him. I stood by you last year, and I know that if I did it again he would never forgive me."

Harry nodded. "And you wanted to tell me that even though you won't be around me much until we sort out this fight, you do still want to be friends. Right?"

Hermione nodded.

"It's okay. I don't mind, and to tell you the truth I think you've got more of a chance with Ron than you think." He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Thank you, Harry. I knew you'd understand."

The two sank into a comfortable silence as they watched the transformations take place. Pavarti shocked the class by transforming into a pixie that flew around and annoyed everyone greatly for several minutes. Professor McGonagall explained at that point that, while it is possible to become a magical creature, it does not occur often. Pavarti was extremely pleased with herself and spent the rest of the lesson whispering to Lavender about her form. At the end of the class there was still about seven people who had not yet taken the potion.

"I will keep your potions here until the next lesson for safekeeping," McGonagall told them as they filed out. "Now you'd best get to your next class."

"Come on, Harry! The Duelling Club is starting soon!" Seamus yelled outside of Harry's room impatiently. "We're all waiting on you!"

Seamus, Dean, and Neville had all become considerably closer to Harry over the past few days. Ron did not really seem to mind that they were not taking sides, but was still not talking to Harry. 

"Coming!" Harry called out, opening the door and running out while fastening the last clasp on his coat.

"What took you? You'd think you were one of the girls getting ready for a ball, for heaven's sake!" Dean complained good-naturedly, thumping Harry lightly on the shoulder. Harry grimaced.

"It's not my fault the teachers stuck a fuss-pot mirror in there. It threatened to start singing high enough to break all the glass in the room if I didn't 'wrap up well'."  
Neville's forehead wrinkled. "Wouldn't that mean it would break?"  
" I tried to tell it that, but _no_. Stupid thing must be suicidal."

Seamus shrugged. "Must know my mother."

Dean looked at his friend, shocked. "How could you say that? Your mother's wonderful!"

Seamus looked at him grimly. "Only to guests. Otherwise she is a health fanatic. If we so much as get a cold we get dragged off to the doctor for a full check-up."

Dean laughed. "My mother's a bit like that, too."

Neville had a faint look of triumph on his face. "I bet they can't compare to my Gran," He said smugly.

"Bet they can!" Dean and Seamus said. 

"I'm going to side with Neville on this one," Harry said, thinking back to the boggart 'Snape' and the clothes he had been forced to wear.

"If the temperature so much as drops one degree* below twenty-three she bundles me up in these awful padded jackets and pants. I look like a snowman," Neville said, adopting an air of great martyrdom. 

Seamus and Dean glanced at each other for a moment before edging slowly away from Neville.

"Whatever you say, Neville," The both said in unison.

"I say that what I told you is the truth," He said solemnly. 

"Maybe we should stop arguing about who has the worst family and get to the Great Hall?" Harry suggested. The others nodded.  
" You are probably right, Harry. Professor Figg wasn't nearly as bad as Moody when it comes to being late, but she was pretty strict," Dean said. "Come on!" 

Professor Figg smiled. "Good evening, everyone. I trust you all know me from your early Defence Against Dark Arts lessons?" The class nodded, and she smiled again. "Good. Today we will be starting with just a few simple spells for defending against small curses, and a few curses to fight back with. I expect you to practice during your spare time with each other. If I hear of any people using the spells on a person who is not expecting it or who is not in this class, however, they will be removed from this club either temporarily or permanently, depending on the severity of the curse used. Is that understood?"

The group of students nodded. "Alright then, let's get started. Find a partner and spread out. Remember to allow at least two feet on all sides of you between groups for safety."

Seamus and Dean paired up immediately, as did Harry and Neville. The rest of the people milled around for a couple of minutes before they had all finally settled on a partner. Malfoy was paired up with Blaise Zabini, Harry noticed. 

"The first spell you will be learning you may have encountered before. It is called _stupefy_, and will render someone unconscious for ten minutes or so, depending on the strength of the user and receiver. You must wave your wand in a figure of eight pattern, moving in an anticlockwise direction at the start. Once you have completed the figure of eight flick your wand at your opponent and say the word _stupefy_, remembering not to draw out the 'stu' sound. I am sure that you do not wish the spell to backfire onto yourself, after all. Once the spell has been completed you will use the 'enervate' spell to awaken your partner. Begin."

Harry nodded to Neville. "You go first," he said. Neville nodded.

"Okay, I'll try."

The wand movement in itself was shaky, but Neville's voice was surprisingly steady. "Stupefy."

Harry felt something hit him, and he fell backwards, eyes slowly slipping shut.

"Enervate."

Harry opened his eyes slowly, and blinked a couple of times before standing. Neville was in front of him, face pale and lips shaking slightly. Harry smiled at him reassuringly.

"That was excellent, Neville. If you can get all your spells to work that well you could even become an Auror!"

Neville blushed slightly. "Thanks, Harry. It's your turn."

Harry nodded and took a few steps back from Neville.

"Ready?" He asked, pointing his wand at Neville, who nodded. Harry moved his wand in the familiar pattern.

"Stupefy," He said, voice clipped and steady. Neville fell over almost immediately. Harry took a few steps towards him, checked that the spell had worked properly, and woke him.

"You alright, Neville?" He asked, holding out a hand to help his partner to his feet.

"Fine, actually," Neville said, sounding a bit surprised. Harry grinned. 

"It doesn't leave any side effects, you know."

"Very good, class. You have all worked extremely well and seem to have grasped the main ideas behind those spells quickly. The next meeting for this club will be in three days time. I'll see you then," Professor Figg told them as she ushered them out of the door.

"Well, that was fun," Seamus said enthusiastically. "I'm glad I signed up for it now."

"Yes well _you_ weren't the one on the receiving end of a _flammeus facies_ curse, were you?" Dean told him sourly, rubbing at his face and trying to get the soot marks off it. 

"Yes well it'll be my turn next time," Seamus told him happily. "So it's no use getting high and mighty or I'll pull my patented 'Hard done by and martyr' act, and you know that makes you feel awful."

Dean whacked him. "That's emotional blackmail and manipulation, that is. It shouldn't be allowed."

"Well it is," Neville informed him. "So you'd better get used to it."

"I'm off to bed," Harry told the group, turning towards the stairs that led to his room. "Sleep well."

"You too, Harry. Goodnight!" They said. Because they had had so much practice at it over their years at Hogwarts they managed to even make is sound fairly understandable. Harry waved at them as he walked up the stairs, and watched them walk away towards the common room. He sighed quietly and retreated to his room, snuffed out the light that was still glowing and crawled into bed.


	27. Dreaming...

Gods, but this is an awful chapter. *groans* I'm really sorry people, but I've had writer's block and I had to slog through it. The majority of people asked for the third option, so from now on I'll be writing the chapters and posting them when I am happy with them, and when I consider them complete. My mother and father have been talking about disconnecting the internet, some of you would already know that. We've talked to my mother and she says that they're only discussing it at this point. *glares at them* I don't know why they told me that they would definitely be getting rid of it, of course. *grumbles* I'll keep you informed, of course. *grins* Enjoy, if you can. *winces and wanders off*

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/innlefarseeker

**__**

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Harry sat on his bed, doodling idly on a piece of paper. It was Saturday, and he was bored out of his mind. Eventually he decided to go out onto the quidditch field and practice for the game next week. It was the only one before Christmas, and the whole school was waiting for it. Harry sighed and grabbed his broom. 

"I don't see what captivates you so about flying," Sebastian hissed, slithering over to him. Harry smiled and picked up the snake. 

"Why don't you come and see?" He said, fully expecting Sebastian to refuse. Instead the snake nodded, if somewhat hesitantly. 

"If you think it will be okay, I will," he said. Harry frowned at that. He wasn't quite sure how he could make sure that it was safe.

"I'm sure we'll think of something," he said confidently, heading out of the room.

In the end they decided to create a kind of harness for the snake. Three loops went around three of his heads, tied so that they would not become any tighter or looser and so that they would not slip over his heads. The other end of the harness went around Harry's wrist. Echolalia had decided to stay indoors near the fire and out of reach of the cold.

"You ready?" Harry asked as he mounted his broom, wrapping Sebastian around his neck again.

"I think so," The snake replied, eyes and tongue flickering nervously.

"It'll be fine, Sebastian. I won't go too fast, and I'll land if you want me to."

With that they took off, circling the pitch twice before moving above the stands. Sebastian tightened his hold around Harry's neck for a moment, then opened his eyes and looked down.

"This is amazing," he hissed after a moment of awe. "I can see everything! There's Hogwarts! And the lake!"

Harry laughed. "Do you want to go a bit faster?"

"You mean you can?" Sebastian asked, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Yes, of course. There's no way I'd be able to catch the snitch if I stayed at this speed."  
"Please."

With that they sped away, moving away from the field to weave in and out of the turrets. It turned out that Harry didn't end up getting any proper practice in that day.

__

There was blackness, not just darkness but a complete absence of light, but Harry could still see. Voldemort stood in what seemed to be a glass bowl, and a child was kneeling in front of him.

"Do you know what you have done to me, Potter?" He hissed. Harry jumped, at first thinking that Voldemort was addressing him. It soon became clear that he was talking to himself, however. He kicked the child, who flinched away, whimpering quietly.

"Shut up! I have no use for you!" He snarled.

"Why do you want to hurt me?" The child questioned softly, hurt and shame filling his voice.

"Because you are weak. Because you are afraid. Because you are everything I hate." He said, voice cool. He turned and began to walk away across the black distance. The child raised his head, and Harry saw a face that was familiar. His memory flashed for a moment back to his second year at Hogwarts, and the Chamber of Secrets. He shook his head, telling himself that it couldn't be. Moments later the voice of the child confirmed his suspicions.

"Because I am you."

As the last word faded away the ground began to shift and lengthen. The glass bowl became the bottom of an hourglass.

"There is no time," Dumbledore's voice echoed through the dream, sounding somehow accusing.

"Trust only your friends...the Dark Lord will rise again with the help of his servant...kill the spare...Mars is bright tonight...'

A collage of voices shouted at Harry, and invisible hands tore at his clothes. He tried to scream, to tell the hands to leave him alone. All that came out was a harsh, choking sob. Two red eyes appeared and a horrible, high-pitched laugh filled the air. Harry tried to move his hands to cover his ears only to find that they had become webbed. Suddenly he was swimming, trying to find something. Ron appeared, tied to a rock. Harry wanted to free him, but something held him back. As he tried to make a decision Ron began to rot, decomposing in a blink of the eye. His corpse looked up at Harry, one eye falling out of the socket as it did so. The jaw moved, but no sound came out. Harry knew what it was saying, though. 

"Don't you trust me?"

"Don't you trust me?"

The figure became Professor Figg and she lunged at Harry, tearing free of the restraints. She grabbed him, eyes mad.

"Don't you trust me?" She hissed at him, lifting him towards her.

"Don't you trust me?" 

Figg changed then ,becoming a Dementor who continued to lift Harry towards it. He struggled, but could not free himself.

"Don't you trust me?" It hissed at him, lowering its mouth towards his, before changing its mind and biting his ear, hard.

Harry shot up, hand moving to cover his ear even as he screamed. He moved his hand away to stare at the blood staining it vaguely. Echolalia fluttered into his view, chattering loudly.  
"Quiet! No can sleep, you scream, scream. I bite ear, wake you. Go back sleepy-land!" She shouted, before turning back to the fire. Harry sighed in relief and stood up, moving his hand back to his ear to staunch the flow of blood, and headed down the trapdoor. He held a soft piece of gauze to his ear until the blood flow slowed then stopped. Leaning closer to the mirror and absently noting the dark circles under his eyes, he examined the small wound. Echolalia had bitten right through it. He sighed again, turned away from the mirror and climbed up the ladder leading back to his bedroom. Harry slid between the sheets of his bed, curling up and pulling the blanket up to his chin. After ten minutes he began to snore quietly.

Harry sighed, half-listening to Professor Snape describe what should happen if the potion they were working on worked properly. His eyes slipped shut slowly, giving in to the call of sleep. He dozed, and was almost completely asleep when he felt a hand fall onto his shoulder. He opened one eye slowly to gaze up at Snape.

"I would appreciate it if you stayed awake in my class, Mr. Potter. You will report to me at five o'clock for your detention."

"Sorry, Sir," Harry mumbled, sitting up slightly. Neville, Dean and Seamus were all looking at him, faces worried.

Professor Snape snorted. "Start your potion, Potter, and don't fall asleep in my class again." He stalked away, sitting down behind the desk at the front of the room and beginning to mark the essays the first years had completed as homework. A hand tapped Harry's shoulder and Neville passed him a piece of paper, glancing towards Snape nervously. A list of ingredients were scribbled on it.

"The directions are on the other side," Neville whispered to him. Harry nodded his thanks to him and began to work on the brew. It was soon completed, glowing a deep blue in the cauldron. It was bottled and stoppered before all of the potions were nametagged and placed on a shelf in one of the cupboards to steep. The class filed out of the room slowly, heading towards their next classes and talking quietly.

"Remember your detention," Snape told Harry as he walked past. Harry nodded, and began to walk to transfiguration.

Professor McGonagall watched the seats of the classroom fill slowly. She stood, smiled briefly at them and began to speak.

"As you know we have been using a potion to find out what our animagus forms are likely to be. There are a few of you left to take the potion before we move on to human transfiguration."

The class nodded and she scanned down the list she held in her hand, looking for a name that did not have a mark next to it.

"Harry Potter, please come to the front of the room."

She watched him stand and walk to the front, glancing about nervously. She had high hopes for him, and was curious to find out what kind of form he would take. Professor McGonagall handed him the potion and he opened it, took one last look at her and drank the liquid.


	28. There is a reason one of the genres is s...

I know that you were all anxious to find out what happens, so this chapter is early. To all the people who claimed that I was Evil, she is my best friend. Her name on ff.net is Minna, so go read her stuff! Also read my sister's stuff, she's Obake. To all the people who were claiming that I was driving them insane that is my job. I'm Insanity. To all people claiming to be Insanity or to be completely insane – sorry, but you can't be. Only I can be. *nods* I know a lot of you aren't going to be exactly happy with his animagus form, but I've had it planned from the very beginning and that's what it will be. *nods* Come to think of it, I'm not sure if I included a description…if I didn't, it'll be in the next one. *nods* I think the most imaginative suggestions I got was a dinosaur and a black phoenix. 

This chapter is for Becka, Tarusoul (or Von), and phobiac, who was my one thousandth reviewer. *grins*

**__**

Chapter Twenty-Eight

For a moment Harry didn't feel anything, and it occurred to him that perhaps he'd mixed the potion incorrectly and Snape hadn't done anything out of spite. Then he felt a kind of shift within himself, and the next thing he knew his line of sight had lowered to just above the benches. The way he was seeing had also appeared to have changed somewhat. Colours and objects were sharper and he could see every tiny movement everything in the room was making, no matter how small. One of the first things he noticed – after the bug crawling along the back wall, the small piece of wood falling from the roof and the hyperventilating of Neville – was the way everyone's mouths were hanging open.

'Just what am I?' He wondered. An image and name did the equivalent of an actor wandering onto a stage at the wrong time, gave a sheepish little wave to the stunned audience, and crept off again. 

'Well, I guess that would explain some things," he thought to himself, before wandering over to his seat and lying down beside it. Professor McGonagall was saying something, and he knew better than to draw the attention away from her. 

Professor McGonagall wasn't quite sure what she had thought Harry would be, but it certainly was not the creature Harry had turned into, reason being that it was extinct and usually a person would have to have seen the creature to become it. The rest of the class was gaping at it and trying to place what creature he had become.

"Well, this is most unexpected," McGonagall said, turning to face the class. "It looks like we have another special case on our hands."

A hand shot up. "Yes, Miss Granger?" the Professor asked, not even bothering to take her eyes off Harry.

"What kind of creature is it?"

"It's a Tribeast, Hermione. Not a very original name, I know, but I doubt you have ever heard of it. It became extinct thousands of years ago. A dark wizard from Atlantis took three creatures – a stalker for the head and body, also extinct, a phoenix of the old type to enable to creature to fly, and an unnamed creature with six snake heads and one dragon for the tail - and used them to create one being. The tribeast was able to survive the long centuries, despite the fact that there were no others created after the first, and soon there was a rather large population living in the country. There's not much known about them except that they were solitary creatures and never attacked without cause."

"Then how did they become extinct?" Hermione pressed.

"They had come to rely on Atlantis for their survival, and when the Atlanteans made the decision to sink their city to save it the tribeasts had to move to another location. It turns out that they could not survive without their home, and they gradually died out. That is all we know."

Harry, who had transformed back into his usual self was sitting at his desk, avoiding the stares of others and generally trying to act as if nothing unusual had happened.

"_What_? It wasn't that big a deal when Lavender became a pixie, so why is it any different with me?"

"Because your creature is extinct, was created by a wizard and has the parts of three creatures," Seamus pointed out, voice deadpan.

Harry pouted. "So I have a split personality…"

"Alright, that's quite enough. You can argue about this later but right now we have a class to finish. Miss Granger, if you could step forward," Professor McGonagall said, withdrawing Hermione's potion from the cupboard it had been stored in. Hermione nodded and moved to the front, swallowing the potion in one go. It turned out that her form was a raven, a surprise for most people, but not for Harry. He had done a project on ravens once while he was still at a muggle school, and knew that they were one of the smartest birds there are. Hermione turned back into her normal form, and the time trudged onwards, pulling the students after it and forcing them to sit through half a lesson of more 'swish and flicks'. Professor McGonagall motioned for Harry to come and speak to her as the lesson finished and the rest of the students moved on to their next ones.

"Do you remember when Professor Moody asked you if you wanted to take some special classes to learn to control your abilities?"

Harry nodded. "Of course I do. I've been wondering when they would be starting, actually."

McGonagall's lip twitched. "We've finally convinced the Ministry of Magic that they are necessary for you, and they have approved it. The lessons will be held for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night, for two hours. You will meet the other Professors and myself here tonight at seven o'clock. This Thursday night and every second Thursday afterwards will be when the next Order of the Phoenix meetings is held. That is all. You had better hurry, or you'll miss your next class. Don't forget, now!"

Harry nodded and ran out of the classroom, fumbling around in his bag for his timetable. He found it and pulled it out, read what the next lesson was, and ran out of Hogwarts towards Hagrid's hut.

'Alrigh' then, settle down," Hagrid was telling the students as Harry came charging up. They ignored him, and Harry saw a small glint form in his eye.

"SHUT YER MOUTHS, YOU 'ORRIBLE LITTLE PEOPLE!" He bellowed. The class fell silent, staring at Hagrid with more than a little bit of surprise and fear. He grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

"Been takin' some lessons from Professor Snape, I have," He explained. Harry arched an eyebrow, wondering what could have convinced Hagrid to ask Snape for help and what had made him agree. Echolalia, who had taken to staying in Harry's room near the fire and complaining about the cold fluttered down to join Harry, burying herself in his coat and shivering.

"Now, I know a lot of you are all goin' to be a little disappointed, but the day has come when the faeries have to leave. They fly down to Australia in the Winter, and they'll need to leave soon or they won't be able to join the rest of their group."

Harry stared at Hagrid for a moment, feeling as if the bottom of his world had fallen out from beneath him. He pulled Echolalia out from beneath the cloak for a moment, staring at her numbly. She looked back at him, eyes depressed and faintly angry. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" He murmured, touching her cheek lightly with the tip of his index finger. She shrugged and curled up into a little ball. After a moment he placed her back under the collar of his cloak.

"You'd all better say your goodbyes to them…I know that it's hard, bu' it has to happen."

Echolalia crept out from under the collar and moved to stand on Harry's shoulder. He felt her hand brush by his ear and heard her whisper an apology for the bite. Then she fluttered up and touched his nose gently.

"Miss you," She murmured, before flying up to join the growing group of faeries in the air. Harry nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Miss you too," He choked out. He sat down on the grass and pulled his knees up under his chin, watching the group grow. Finally they began to fly away, moving across the grounds with great speed.

"There they go, then," Hagrid said quietly. A single tear crept down Harry's cheek and fell onto his arm. 

"We'll be learnin' about quadliwinkles next lesson, so remember to bring somethin' shiny to class" Hagrid dismissed them. A hand appeared in Harry's line of vision, and he looked up to find Neville smiling sadly at him. Harry grabbed his hand and pulled himself up, brushing off his clothes. Dean and Seamus joined them, patting Harry's shoulder.

"We know you'll miss her, Harry. We all will," Neville offered quietly, and Harry forced a weak smile. 

Dean clapped his hands together. "I've got a great idea!" He yelled, before pulling Harry back up towards the castle. The rest of the group followed, listening to Dean's chatter as they crossed the ground. Just as they reached the great doors of Hogwarts, a few snowflakes began to fall.

* * *

"Here it is! I was going to use it, but the hole in my ear closed up and I'm not game enough to get it pierced again," Dean said triumphantly, having pulled out the majority of his trunk. In his hand was an earring. It was a fang of some sort, with a gorgeous film of dark blue over it. Dean slipped it through the hole Echolalia had made in Harry's ear, and stood back.

"There. All the girls will be chasing you, now," He said, looking at Harry proudly.

"Like they aren't already," Neville joked.

"What's it made of?" Harry questioned, moving to look at it in a mirror. Now that he looked closely at it he could see swirling patterns of dark blue in the film covering the fang.

"The fang of an adder," Dean said. "The colouring on it was made by taking a faerie's wing and wrapping it around the fang, then heating it so that it melted onto the fang."  
"How did they get the faerie wing?" Harry asked.

"Don't worry, it's just like with the fairies, only it takes them longer to shed them. I think the faeries only shed their wings once every five years, or something like that. The magic in it will make the fang hum when someone's about to try to hurt you or put you in danger or if there is someone around that you shouldn't trust. It also helps with sleep," Seamus jumped in, grinning and winking broadly. 

"This way you'll always be able to remember Echolalia," Neville said, smiling. Harry smiled back.

Thanks a lot, Dean," He said, reaching up to touch the earring again.

"No problem at all," Dean assured him, before glancing at the clock.

"Oh no! We'd better hurry, or we're going to be late to class!" He yelled, thundering down the stairs that lead to the Common Room and sprinting out, the three other boys hot on his heels.


	29. Studies.

Oooh, a nice, long author's note for you! Don't you all just feel so _special_? Thank you so much to the people who either told that flamer to lay off or told me to not worry about him/her. It means a lot to me to know that you all care enough to defend me when someone comes along and does that. I think it was kind of funny, though, so I decided to add a few little comments in. This is mainly for the flamer if they come back, so scroll down if you just want to read the chapter, 'kay?

IT SUCKS!!!

Okay, how many times do I have to tell people? I don't suck; I blow. This means that all my works blow too. Okay? Remember that next time.

HOW COULD YOU WRITE SUCH A STUPID FIC!

Well it is actually rather simple to comprehend. I was at home because I was sick and I got bored and tired of waiting for the fifth book. Introduce a piece of paper and a pencil to the scene and you have how it came about.

ALL THOSE GOD DAMN PEOPLE ARE FUCKERS BECAUSE THEY LIKE THIS!!! 

Hey! You can bash on me however much you want but if you start picking on the people who support me you will find yourself hanging from an electrical wire by your guts, with me standing under you holding a stopwatch and laughing my head off. I don't care what you say or do to me but when you start picking on people who have nothing to do with this fic other than read it you're going to far. I noticed that it said you had read all the way to chapter twenty-eight in the review, by the way. Does that make you one, too? Why did you read that far if you didn't like it? Or do you just have a problem with admitting that someone else might just have a little bit more talent than you? I'm not in the top one percent at English in the state, bucko. I know that I have more talent than the vast majority of people and I won't just lie down and die just because you flamed me. 

JEEZ, JUST GIVE UP ALREADY!!!!!

I think I covered that in the other comment…yep. Not going to go away, dearie, so just deal with it. Okay? Thanks so much…

YOU GOT NO FUCKIN' TALENT!!! 

Already covered as well. Let us see. This would be why I'm also going to the Writer's Masterclasses, and currently writing a novella for the Somerset Novella Competition, entering in the Australian Women's Weekly short story competition (prize of $20 000 people! Wow if I win, ne?) and have been working at grade eleven and twelve level in my English classes for the past two years. Right. Sure. 

I HAVE MORE TALENT THAN YOU!!! 

Which is why you're talking in run-on sentences, seem to have gotten your caps lock key stuck and use multiple exclamations all the time. Can't you come up with anything better than 'A ______ could do better than you'? I feel sorry if you cannot, and you have my pity. You can decide whether that is a good thing or a bad one.

A FUCKIN' DOG CAN DO A BETTER JOB THAN YOU!!! 

*points up to where you left your 'name' and 'email address'. Like that, right? That's better, isn't it? I can do that if you want, but I'm sure a lot of other people wouldn't want to see a chapter with just gibberish in it. How about you give me your _real_ email address next time, and I can send you them separately?

A PENCIL COULD DO BETTER THAN YOU!!!

Nope. A pencil is an inanimate object. I needed to pick up the pencil and move it across the page to make the words in my head come out. It would be a lot simpler if you came across a smart pencil who happens to write a really good story and you could take credit for it, but that's not the way it works. *hands you my pencil* If you're so certain it could do better than me though, why don't you give it a try? I'm sure you must have some paper lying around somewhere, so if you just stick it on the paper and sit down and wait maybe something will happen.

OK, IF THIS ISN'T MORE PATHETIC ENOUGH THAN A FUCKIN' ROMANCE NOVEL, IT'S WORSE!!!

I think we can safely say that a romance novel is more pathetic, actually. At least I have a go at integrating some plot into this, instead of letting it be completely PWP. This would also be why I use a little thing called 'foreshadowing' in it. Sorry if it's too subtle for you to pick up, dear, but it is there.

OK, I'LL BE DONE FOR NOW, BUT IF IT IS NOT GONE BY TOMORROW, I'LL BE BACK!!!!!

Why would I care? It just means I have another flame to join this one on my wall. I was rather disappointed when I got my first flame, you know, just as I'm sure you're disappointed you didn't receive that wonderful position. I truly would have liked you to, though. 'this fic sucks I cannot stand it don't read' isn't that good, I must admit. Dear Mr. Squishy Fishy, you have been usurped…*pulls down the 'squishy fishy' flame and hangs this one up* There. Ah, such a lovely glow it creates, too. Will keep the room lit quite nicely until Dad finally gets around to putting in a new light bulb. This fic ain't going down, bucko, so just deal. Flames or not, I don't care. I write this fic for me, not for the people who read it. Selfish, yes, but I wouldn't be able to finish it if I wrote for them. I _do_ plan on finishing it, by the way. Hey…*consults with Olwin, Melvin and Claudia (don't ask)* Would this mean that I have an anti-fan? It does, doesn't it? I have an anti-fan! Whoo! Go me! You know you're going up in the realms of fanfiction when you get your own, real-life anti-fan! *huggles the anti-fan* Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you so much for hating this fic so much that you feel you have to flame it every day! Thank you!

Feel free to reply, dear anti-fan. I would sincerely love to continue this conversation.

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Disclaimer- I don't own the goods. I simply stole them for my own gain. I'm sure the JK-copier-police-thingies will find me soon, so don't worry. You ain't missing out on anything.

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Chapter Twenty-Nine

Harry watched the fumes from the potion he was brewing curl up into the air, changing colours slowly. Snape had them brewing some kind of medical potion for Madam Pompfrey, supposedly for the epidemic of influenza she was expecting during the cold months. Even Neville had managed to create the potion without any mishaps, and they were all now just waiting for the liquid to reach boiling point. Snape himself had been called away to retrieve Professor Flitwick from the ceiling again, after the small man had been hit with a badly-aimed floating spell. The class was surprisingly silent for not having a teacher there to watch their every move, and Harry was half-expecting someone to snap and pull a silly trick in the absence of their teacher.

'Most probably just as Professor Snape walks back in the door,' Harry thought wryly.

It didn't happen, however, and Professor Snape returned just in time to tell them what their homework task was for the night and to tell them exactly what would happen if it wasn't completed.

***

Harry pushed the door closed with his foot, shifting the books that he had balanced precariously in his arms onto the desk. He had surprisingly little homework for the day, and he wanted to get it over with before he went to meet McGonagall and the other professors that night. A slight noise behind him made him turn to see a small, familiar figure huddled near the fire. He gaped, and it turned to face him. Echolalia had a defiant expression on her face, and looked like she had been crying earlier that day.

"What are you doing here?" Harry gasped finally, moving to sit beside her. She hunched up further, as if she thought he was going to order her to leave.

"Not going," She muttered.

"But…why? Don't you want to go with the other faeries?" 

Echolalia shrugged and uncurled slightly. "Rather stay with you."

Harry blinked back the tears that threatened to fall and smiled. "Thank you, Echolalia." He picked the books up off the desk and moved back to sit beside her in front of the fire. They sat in comfortable silence as Harry completed his homework and finished a ten-page essay on the similarities and differences between two floating spells.

"I have to go and meet some of the professors now, 'Lalia. Do you want to come?" Harry asked as he put the last of his books away. He had talked to Sebastian already, and he had wanted to come. She nodded, and Harry smiled.

"Great. I'll just go and get Sebastian and my cloak, and then we'll leave." Harry opened his trunk and began to search for his invisibility cloak. It had been a long time since he had used it, and it had slid to the bottom of the trunk. He wrapped it around himself and went to pick up Sebastian, who was exploring the passages underneath the room.

"Sebastian? We're leaving now," Harry called, holding a lantern out in front of him. Sebastian came crawling up and wrapped himself around Harry's neck.

"I think you're getting to big to be carried any more," Harry joked. Sebastian hadn't been out much because of the cold and had been eating large amounts as well.

"Not my fault if you go to school in a place where I can't go out during winter," Sebastian replied.

Harry nodded in agreement. "At least Hogwarts doesn't use heaters, though. The muggle school I went to used these old ones that were more likely not to work than to produce any heat."

"Yes, I suppose that would be worse."

***

"Hello?" Harry called, opening the door to the Transfiguration classroom. Professor McGonagall, Figg and Flitwick all turned and smiled at Harry, ushering him in. Professor Snape simply scowled at him.

"Good evening, Harry," Professor Flitwick murmured. "I trust you are ready for your lessons?"

Harry nodded.

"Good. The first big project you will be attempting is the creation of a pensieve. We chose this because it will use all of our subjects, and will allow us to assess your ability at combining different types of magic as well."

Harry nodded. 'A pensieve? Could I really do that?' He thought.

"We won't be attempting that for a few weeks yet, though. We would like to find out exactly how much control you have over these surges of yours and what they can do. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded again. "Yes Sir."

"Good. Professor McGonagall will be the first to test you, then Professor Figg, myself, and Professor Snape will then test you in their own fields."

"Your wand please, Harry?" Professor McGonagall said, holding out her hand. Harry pulled it out of his sleeve and gave it to her.

"I want you to transfigurate this stool into a cat. Do you think you can do that?"  
Harry shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know. Whenever I use the surges I don't really plan what's going to happen, it just does. I'm not even sure I could do that without waiting for a surge to come along."

McGonagall nodded, frowning slightly. "Just try, Harry."

Harry nodded. "Okay, I'll try." He turned his attention to the small stool in front of him, and began to concentrate on it. He felt slightly stupid, but he knew it would just be childish to say that he couldn't do it without trying.

"Come on, come on…" He murmured, narrowing his eyes. The stool stubbornly remained a stool, and Harry sighed.

'If you don't turn into a cat right now I'll break all your legs of and use them as the bludger bats!' He thought, imagining the legs of the stool breaking off and hitting a bludger around the classroom.

"I think you're doing it!" Flitwick said suddenly, pointing at the stool. It had begun to shudder and jump. Suddenly the legs fell off of it, the base turning into a ball which the legs proceeded to knock around the classroom.

"I don't believe that was what I asked for, Harry," Professor McGonagall said, ducking as one of the legs missed the seat-turned-ball and it flew past her head.

"I'm sorry," Harry replied. 

"How did you get it to do this, then?" Flitwick asked as one of the bats prodded him in the back.

"I don't know! I was trying to get it to turn into a cat but it wouldn't so I threatened to break off its legs and use them as the bludger bats in the next game and it happened!"

"Well tell them to turn back into a stool then, Harry," Professor Figg said, catching hold of one of the bats and hitting away the ball as it headed towards her.

"Turn back into a stool, now!" Harry yelled at it. Nothing happened.

"Well that didn't work," Snape said dryly.

"I think we all realised that, Severus," McGonagall retorted.

'This is a disaster," Harry thought. 'The stool was only supposed to turn into a cat!' He imagined it working properly, the stool turning into a black cat with green eyes and one white-tipped ear.

The bats and ball halted in mid-air, and shuddered slightly. Then they fell to the floor in a pile, which turned into a black cat with a white-tipped ear and yellowish-green eyes.

A/N – You didn't all really believe that I would just get rid of Echolalia, did you? No…I'm too attached to her. *grins* Plus she's important for the story. 


	30. Losing Someone

Sorry about the lack of posting and the size of this chapter. I have had a bad bout of Writer's Block, and ended up breaking it today. *grins* There was a bit of a rush to get even this much done, I can tell you. There are also a few important things going on in my life right now, so I may be missing my posting time more often. I will make it up to you all when things have calmed down a bit, however, never fear. To the girl who said I was a college Professor…erm…no? I turn fifteen tomorrow, however. *grins* I seem to have scared off my anti-fan, which is rather annoying. Also, to the girl who said that an update reminder thingo came out on my list but I didn't update: I have that as an automatic thing on the site, and I'm going to have to change it to once every two weeks. Sorry about that. Also, please read the 'Only Happy When It Rains' story thing on my profile. I'm rather proud of it.

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Disclaimer: When I am rich and famous I'll be buying the rights to Harry Potter, but that won't be for a while yet. Until then the goods are still JK Rowling's property.

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Chapter Thirty

Harry stared at the cat. The cat stared at Harry. McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick stared at both. The cat was the first to move. A butterfly was attempting to fly out of the closed window, and it caught the cat's attention. It padded over to the sill and jumped up onto the window to swipe curiously at the poor insect.

"Very good, Harry," Professor McGonagall said, pleased. Flitwick smiled and shook his hand, congratulating him. Snape just stared at the tiny animal and nodded, as if he was weighing up something in his mind and had reached a conclusion.

Harry breathed out sharply. "Wow…"

"Now try to turn it back into the stool," McGonagall said.

"But it's alive!" Harry protested, shocked.

"It is still school property, and was originally a stool. It will begin to turn back after a time anyway, so why bother waiting? Besides, I need that chair for the classes I'm teaching tomorrow."

Harry nodded, and concentrated on the little creature. He thought he finally knew how he was using his magic, and this confirmed it. He pictured the kitten turning back into the stool, and wiped everything else from his mind. Nothing happened for a moment, then there was a small popping noise and the stool was balancing precariously on the windowsill. After a moment of wobbling it fell to the floor with a clatter. One of the legs broke of and Professor McGonagall hurried forward to repair it.

"I think I know how I'm doing it, now," Harry ventured, wondering whether they would spend the rest of the night practising just this or if they were going to move onto something else.

"You want to move on, yes?" McGonagall asked, voice amused. "Well if you can perform the transfiguration of a human without any problems we'll start with charms. I can't be the guinea pig though, since I'll be checking to see it there were any problems. Any volunteers?"

Flitwick began edging towards the door and shaking his head. Snape, who had moved over to stare out the window, didn't seem to hear Professor McGonagall. Harry could almost feel the gloating smile that crossed her face.

"It seems Professor Snape is the only one of us who doesn't mind," She announced. "Try to turn him into something fluffy and lovable. Not a cat, though, you've already done that."

Professor Snape turned around at that, realising what was going on. He opened his mouth to protest, but all that came out was a bark. Harry had turned him into a silky terrier pup that looked gorgeous apart from the glaring eyes. The Snape-dog got up and began to walk towards the door, stopping to attack McGonagall's shoe on the way. Once it had ripped off a sizeable amount of the material it padded over to the door where it sat down, glaring at the group. The message was clear. Harry pictured Snape and sought out the power he had been using, aiming it at the puppy. The transformation was halfway through when a picture appeared suddenly in Harry's mind. It was so fast that he almost missed it, and afterwards the only thing he remembered was a brief image of short, black hair and dark brown eyes. He faltered for a moment, before bringing the picture of Snape back into his head and continuing with the transformation. Soon Professor Snape was standing in front of him again, scowling horribly. He raised a hand to his mouth and coughed out a fair amount of Professor McGonagall's shoe. He stared at it in disgust for a moment, before throwing it onto the floor. Professor McGonagall dried the piece of material with a word and used another spell to repair the shoe. 

"Never try that again," Professor Snape said, staring at them all. "Never."

Harry put a hand down onto the desk closest to him, a wave of dizziness passing over him, he saw the three Professors turn to see what was the matter, and Harry suddenly realised that Snape's hair was no longer greasy. Another wave of dizziness crashed over him, and he fell over, the room spinning around him.

Harry woke to find Flitwick gently slapping his cheek, McGonagall and Snape arguing over whether the transfiguration of a human was the cause of his collapse or not, and Professor Dumbledore watching the proceedings with a look of faint amusement on his face.

"I see you are awake, Harry," Dumbledore said. Harry nodded.

"Yes, Sir."

"Do you have any idea what happened, Harry? Perhaps you could resolve this little disagreement for Minerva and Severus."

Harry shrugged. "I was turning Professor Snape back and another image got in the way. It took a lot out of me to push it away and concentrate on the Professor. I think it might have been the beginning of another vision."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, that would drain your strength quite considerably. I believe you have had enough training for tonight, Harry."

"Can I go then, Sir?"

"In a moment, Harry," Dumbledore said, the amusement disappearing from his face. "I have something to tell you."

Harry's stomach lurched. "Is someone dead?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Quite the opposite, in fact. One of our spies—" At this point he glanced at Severus— "Has confirmed that Mundungus is still alive. One of our company is leaving tomorrow for Russia. We're going to try and get him back, Harry."

A feeling of foreboding filled Harry, and he took a deep breath. "Sirius."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Harry. He is the only animagus we have in the group apart from Professor McGonagall, and she would be missed. Sirius has more chance of being able to get close to the place where Fletcher is being held without being killed if he goes as a dog. He wants this chance, Harry. He has a lot to prove."

Harry blinked back tears, fighting to stay in control, "What time is he leaving?"

"Early tomorrow morning, before the student body is awake."  
"Can I see him?"

* * *

"Can you understand why I have to do this, Harry?" Sirius asked anxiously, staring at his Godson. The night had passed quickly and Sirius was about to leave.

Harry nodded. "I can understand why, Sirius," He said eventually. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"I know," Sirius said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I wouldn't like it if you were going either."

"I know," Harry said. "You'd probably do just about anything to make sure I wouldn't have to."

Sirius nodded. "You're right there."

"Promise me that you'll eat properly, you won't walk on the road, that you'll stay away from cars and only stop in muggle towns that are isolated," Harry said, face and voice serious.

"Yes, Mum," Sirius teased.  
"I'm serious. I only just found you, Sirius, and you're the closest thing I've got to a family. I don't want to lose you now."

Sirius' smile faded. "I know. I'll be careful and if things get too hot for me to handle, I'll pull out and try another time."

Harry nodded, before leaning forward to hug his Godfather.

"And try not to lose your temper with any of the muggles you come across. They just don't understand that it's perfectly acceptable for a dog to be a person," Harry added, releasing Sirius, who laughed and promised to try to be nice to the muggles.

"Good luck," Harry said as Dumbledore beckoned Harry to come back into Hogwarts. "Be safe."

Sirius nodded before turning into his dog form and heading down towards Hogsmeade.


	31. Sirius

A/N: Okay, I have a few answers for some of the questions you've asked. I know that the other characters – especially Draco – have faded into the background, but there is a reason for that. I need to concentrate on Harry right now, and in Draco's case there is another reason for the absence. A lot of you have commented that Harry is becoming increasingly powerful. That's incorrect. He isn't becoming more powerful right now; he's actually reached a plateau for the moment. He's learning to control his powers without the surges, is all.

Nappa: This fic won't be H/Hr. The only reason it has hints of R/Hr right now is because I needed to give a reason for Hermione's absence from Harry's side, and it was convenient. As for the comments about canon Ron not showing any feeling for Hermione at all—need I remind you of the torn up little Krum figure thingo? He was royally pissed about Hermione liking Krum, and it wasn't just because he thought she was fraternising with the 'enemy', because he continued to hate Krum for it even when Harry told him that he didn't mind Hermione spending time with Krum. The only other reason left is that he thought Hermione was betraying _him_. She supported Harry during their fight, and then 'abandoned' Ron for Krum. I think that's enough proof, and I can't be bothered going through all the books to find more points. I would like to finish by saying that I appreciate your recommendations and respect your choice in ships, but I won't be changing this fic just because you want me to. I started writing this fanfic for me, and I will finish writing it for me.

Everyone: I had a go at doing a Sirius point-of-view for this chapter. I'm not sure how well it turned out, but please keep in mind that it's my first time writing this particular character from his own point of view. I'm also running a fanart competition, which will be judged in about three weeks. If you have any fanart send it to me at bentoobaka@email.com and it will automatically be entered. I would also like to tell you now that I will not be doing private notifications for updates of this fic. I update on Saturday or Sunday, which is Friday or Saturday for the Americans. There's generally a one to two week period between posts when I write the next chapter.

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Disclaimer: Not mine. All JKR's. Well, the main plot idea is mine, I guess. The characters and Harry Potter series in general are hers, however.

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Chapter Thirty-One

Sirius had apparated to Russia as soon as he had been off the Hogwarts Grounds, and had been travelling for what felt like three days, although it was probably longer. He had yet to see the northern lights, and he had been praying every night that he was headed in the right direction. The fur coat that he had cursed on hot summer days was now his favourite part of his dog body, and he was currently playing a little game to see how long he could go for before the saliva in his mouth froze. When night fell he would dig a little wind-break for himself to sleep behind, but it didn't cut out the chill of the ground and he often dreamed that he was locked in a meat storage container, about to be shipped off to Indonesia. He didn't mind those dreams, in truth—the thought of Indonesia and its humidity was enough to make him forget the cold for the first half an hour or so each morning.

It was the next day that he first spotted the northern lights. He had stopped in a town to listen for any news when there had been a multi-coloured flash of light outside of the pub he had been sitting in. He had run out, thinking that the town was under attack, to see the same lights flashing in the sky and reflecting off the snow. The people had laughed at the ignorant 'tourist' and explained about the northern lights in broken English. When he asked if there were any pine forests about, they pointed him west. 

"Three hour to walk, one to bike. You bike?" said one of the locals, bringing a rusty bicycle out of a nearby shed and pointing to it. "Ten an hour, twenty deposit for safety." Sirius shook his head at that, and told the man that he had never learnt to ride a bike in his childhood and that it would take too long to learn now.

"Don't go in," Another man warned. "Not the forest. Bad place, very bad. People found dead."

Sirius nodded, shook the man's hand, and promised that he wouldn't go too far into the forest. 

Eventually, Sirius had to break his promise. After travelling the perimeter of the forest he still had not found the building that had been in Harry's vision. He moved into the forest and headed straight to the middle. It was there that he found the base. It was a large building, all concrete walls and iron-barred windows, and a magical force field about it. Sirius found that out rather painfully.

He had simply taken a step forward and hit a blockage. For a moment he was completely without magic – not a nice feeling, I can assure you – before he was thrown back into a tree with a light burn on his arm, which had been the first place to connect.

"Right. I suppose I'm going to have to find another way in, then," He murmured, rubbing his arm.

The answer to his problem presented itself rather quickly, in the form of a burrow some animal had dug. It ended on the other side of the barrier, and all Sirius had to do was transform into his animagus form and travel to the end of the tunnel before digging his way up and out on the other side. He half expected an army of Death Eaters to appear and tear him to bits, but it didn't happen and after a few minutes of reminding himself not to hyperventilate he continued towards the building. It was exactly how Harry had described it: a concrete compound with pine trees surrounding it with the sharp, slightly metallic smell of snow and blood in the air. 

Sirius encountered no further barriers or forms of protection for the building from then on in, and he guessed that the Death Eaters had been lax with them because they believed themselves to be safe from attack there. The torture chambers were also extremely easy to find – all Sirius had to do was listen and follow the sounds of the screams. Finding Mundungus was not as easy, however. It seemed that the entire left side of the compound was the designated torture area, and Sirius knew that, however slack the Death Eaters had been with protection for themselves so far, there would be someone watching the windows. It was for that reason that he reached into his mind and found the end of the 'cord' that linked him to all the other Order of the Phoenix members. He was searching for Mundungus when he felt another mind move partway down his link. Sirius gritted his teeth and tried not to make a noise. It was Snape.

~ What are you doing, Snape? ~ Sirius asked, trying not to let his dislike of the man interfere with his mind-voice. He knew that if he did it would probably end up giving both the men a migraine. He wasn't sure whether Severus would encounter difficulties or not, but there was no way he'd be able to deal with a large headache and still manage to rescue Mundungus

~ What does it sound like? Attempting to contact you, ~ Snape snapped back. ~ We've been trying to get a hold on you for ages! ~

~ Well excuse me if I'm on an _important_ mission and can't be in a place where you can find me! ~ Sirius retorted. ~ I presume that there was a reason you decided to interrupt me? ~

~ Like I'd contact you unless I couldn't help it. Of course there's a reason. Do you realise what day it is? ~

~ No, actually. Couldn't understand the locals when they tried to tell me. ~

~ It's Christmas Eve, Black. You've been out there for a month, and we hadn't heard anything from you over that time. Dumbledore was more than a little concerned. There are more important things to take care of, however. Are you at the place they're holding him? ~

~ Yes. ~

~ We need a basic overview. How well it's protected, size, general area, location…that kind of thing. ~

~ The only protection I've encountered so far is a heat barrier. There's a foxhole leading under it though, that's how I got in. It probably takes up about an acre of land in itself, and is single layer. I think it's predominantly a torture and interrogation area. You-Know-Who's not here, that's for sure. The Death Eaters wouldn't be so lax if he was around to make sure things happened. It's in the middle of a pine forest near the Ruskanhov village. Apparently the Death Eaters have been practicing their curses on any local who goes too far into the forest, and they're terrified of it. ~

~ Good. Dumbledore wishes me to tell you that Potter sends his love and that they both wish you were back here. ~ Sirius could almost hear Snape sneer.

~ Tell them I'll be back soon. You think you could let me get on with what I was doing before you interrupted me, now? ~

~ My pleasure. I'm teaching a class right now and I'd rather like to know if my floor has been melted again while I was wasting time talking to you. ~

Snape's voice withdrew from Sirius' mind and the man continued to search for Mundungus. What he found terrified him. All that seemed to be left of the man's mind was a pool of pain and terror. He still felt Sirius' approach, however, and a wave of gibberish approached to meet him, catching Sirius and whirling him about like a leaf in a maelstrom. Sirius pulled away, but not before a pleading voice cast one message into his mind.

~ Help me…_please_! ~

A/N: Oooh…stuff is happening! *grins* You didn't really think I'd go and kill Sirius off now, did you? I need him for later on!


	32. Thank You

A/N: Chapter thirty-two for you all and I hope you enjoy it. I'm now very glad of the Latin dictionary my sister bought a while ago. *sighs* I'd love to learn Latin…Thank you to Severitus, who was the first person to send in some fanart. I have it as the wallpaper on my computer! 

**__**

Chapter Thirty-Two

Sirius didn't know what to do. He knew where Mundungus was, knew how many Death Eaters were in the room with him, but he wasn't sure if he should launch a direct attack now, or wait until night. Eventually he decided to wait, and spent the next few hours avoiding Mundungus' searching mind.

It was later than he had planned, when Sirius attacked. He had forgotten that night was shorter in Russia, and that the sun set later. He crept up to the wall of the cell where Mundungus was being kept, and transformed back into a human. Pulling his wand from his pocket, he placed it against the wall and whispered, "_Dirumpere_!" The wall literally broke into pieces, and fell into the cell. Sirius stepped through and took out one of the Death Eaters before they had a chance to react. One of the Death Eaters shot off an Avada Kedavra that missed Sirius by only a few centimetres. He took out the one that had cast the spell with a _pallidus somnus_ curse, and turned to the last one, who was fiddling with a small magical device. Sirius realised that he was trying to call for help, and thumped him over the back of the head with his fist. The Death Eater dropped like a stone, and Sirius turned to the middle of the room. Mundungus was tied to a stone bench, and was covered in cuts and welts that leaked blood. He was almost skeletal in form, and his eyes rolled crazily in his head as he tried to focus on Sirius. For a moment Sirius wasn't sure if he'd be able to move him, but the distant sound of feet and voices forced him into action. He undid the straps and spells holding Mundungus to the table and hauled him over his shoulder, ignoring the feeling of blood seeping through his clothes to touch his skin. He stepped over the rubble that had once been the wall of the cell, and began to run. The voices were coming closer and a few spells whizzed past Sirius' head. He cursed and bent down, trying to run closer to the ground. There were a few terrifying seconds when Sirius thought he'd forgotten where the foxhole was, but then he spotted it, hidden under a few bushes. He pulled out his wand and turned it on Mundungus, trying to concentrate on the man instead of the spells coming dangerously close. "_Transformare cuniculus_," He yelled, concentrating on the form his wished Mundungus and praying that it would work. Mundungus' form stayed the same for a moment, before slowly shrinking and changing into a rabbit. Sirius transformed into his animagus form, picked up the Mundungus-rabbit in his mouth, and crawled into the hole. Within a few moments he was out, and he transfigured Mundungus back into a human. He saw a familiar green light shoot out of the rabbit hole, and reacted in the only way he could think of. He apparated. For an uncomfortable moment he and Mundungus were nothing but thought. He tried to head for Hogwarts then remembered that you couldn't apparate there, and headed for the next best thing. Both men's forms shuddered into existence in a dark room, and Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. The Shrieking Shack. He headed towards the small hole that led towards Hogwarts, transforming Mundungus back into a rabbit again and shifting into his animagus form.

Sirius wasn't sure how long and how far he ran, but he knew that he had reached the Whomping Willow in record time. He raced up the grounds to the doors of Hogwarts and, after transforming Mundungus and himself once again into their human forms, hammered against the door, yelling himself hoarse. After a few moments it opened to reveal Professor McGonagall. She gasped and ushered Sirius in, leading him to the Gargoyle that guarded the passage to Professor Dumbledore's study. She told it the password and guided Sirius up to the top of the stairway. Dumbledore rose from where he had been sitting as they came into the room, eyes filled with both relief and apprehension. Sirius laid Mundungus gently onto one of the overstuffed couches that were in Dumbledore's study. Dumbledore tapped three small orbs that were lying on his desk that began to glow as soon as he touched them, before moving to strip Mundungus of the rag that had once been his shirt. 

"Minerva, would you please find me a damp cloth? I believe there are some behind Resmern's picture."

Professor McGonagall lifted the portrait of one of Hogwarts Headmasters to find a small alcove in which a bowl of cool water and several washcloths sat. She picked up one of the cloths and dipped it into the bowl of water, twisted it so that most of the water was squeezed back into the bowl, and handed it to Professor Dumbledore. He used it to clean the blood off of Mundungus' chest, revealing the full extent of his injuries. Just as he was finishing Snape, Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey all stepped out of the fireplace.

"We've got him back," Dumbledore informed them. "Severus, I'll need you to make a strong sleeping potion and a numbing agent, please. Professor Flitwick, you'll have to go with Madam Pomfrey when she takes Mundungus to the Hospital Wing and perform a stabilization charm on him. I'll arrange for someone else to take your classes for tomorrow. Madam Pomfrey, I'm going to need you to work on Mundungus. I'm aware that it's a big ask, but I'm sure you'll be able to do it."

Just then the door of Dumbledore's study flew open to reveal Harry, breathing hard and with dark circles under his eyes. He glanced about and, upon seeing Sirius, ran to him and hugged him tight, burying his face in his shoulder and trying not to burst into tears. Sirius returned the embrace for a moment, before pulling back to look at Harry.

"You haven't been sleeping," He said, pointing to the dark marks around his godson's eyes.

"Neither have you," Harry shot back, jabbing a finger at Sirius. "And you haven't been eating properly either, and you _promised_."

"I know," Sirius sighed. "I'm sorry." He grinned suddenly. "I suppose I'll just have to spend the next few days recovering…lying around, eating a lot…that kind of thing."

Harry snorted. "Like you don't want to."

"This is just _touching_," Severus sneered, "But I have two classes to teach tomorrow and two potions to make now. Is there any further reason for me to be here?"

"Not really, Severus. Thank you," Dumbledore said. Snape nodded and left the room.

"What did he mean, classes to teach?" Sirius asked suddenly, remembering how Snape had said before that he was teaching. "Haven't the holidays started?"

Dumbledore nodded. "They have, but a lot the students have stayed behind this year. The Professors have decided to offer tutoring for the children to keep them occupied."

Sirius stared at him. "Who would want to be tutored by _Snape_?" He asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

"Enough people to give him the largest amount of classes," Dumbledore told him, voice stern. He obviously didn't approve of the ongoing enmity between Sirius and Severus, and was making it clear. "Severus was right, however. Tomorrow is Christmas day and we're sure to be very busy. I think it would be best if you returned to your room and tried to get some sleep, Harry."

Harry nodded, and gave Sirius one more hug before walking to the door. A small choking noise made him turn to see Mundungus lying on the couch. The man's eyes were open and focused on Harry. 

"Thank you," He rasped, before lying back again and closing his eyes. Harry blinked back sudden tears and turned to return to his room.


	33. In the shadows...

Ergh…I hate writer's block. It sucks. Badly. Anyway…

Some of you have been emailing me about archiving my fic. I don't have a problem with you putting it on your site as long as you put a link on it somewhere to my profile page, and put my email address – bentoobaka@email.com – on it somewhere, and that you send an email to me with the address of your site. To the people who realised that Harry was hugging Severus for a moment there… -_-* I must be too fixated on trying to think of how to continue 'Hands Clean'. Eh heh…If you're wondering what I'm going on about it's another story I'm working on. Slash, and teacher/student to boot. *grins* Oh how the mighty have fallen…

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Chapter Thirty-Three

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Swirling mists covered the ground, blanketing the world in a dark fog. No light escaped it, and no light passed through. Underneath the fog lay a barren wasteland, a place void of any life and any warmth. A shrill laugh echoed through the air, and Harry turned to see Voldemort, who was viewing the scene in front of him with something akin to pride. 

"Do you see?" Voldemort said, turning to kneel beside a crumpled figure on the ground, grabbing the person's chin and forcing them to look at the destruction around them. "Do you see my beautiful world? This is what I work towards…an Eden for all things dark. No life will survive but that which is strong enough, and no hope or joy will ever exist again. And no muggles. Ever. No worms crawling on the ground, no slugs left to persecute that which they don't understand…I shall kill them all, one by one. Or maybe mass genocide. Which do you think? They both sound like fun…" He scowled suddenly and threw the figure away, careless as a child who has grown bored with the doll they were playing with.

" I cannot achieve this, however, without getting rid of them. Dumbledore and Potter are the largest threats, of course. I think I shall save them for last…destroy the others, one by one, and let them know that there is nothing they can do, and there never was. It will be…fun. What do you think, boy? Do you want to join me on my rise to glory?"

The figure on the ground merely curled up into a small ball, not even bothering to answer.

"No reply? I suppose that means a 'no', then. How tiresome…it means I'll have to get rid of you, too."

"You know there's no way to do that…" The figure spoke at last, voice tired and defeated.

It was rather like watching a snake toy with a fledgling bird, Harry thought. Voldemort darted back to stand in front of the child on the floor, grabbing his hair and pulling his head back by it until Harry could see his face. It was the same child Harry had seen in one of his other visions.

"Oh, but there is. And I need only find three more ingredients and the last part of this to finish the spell!" He pulled half of a book out from a hidden pocket in his robe and thrust it towards the boy. "Soon we will no longer have to exist together." A cruel smile passed over Voldemort's face for a moment. "Soon, you won't exist at all!"

Harry sat up, gasping and moving the press one hand against his scar. The outer part of it was numb, but the deepest part was burning as if someone had dipped a paintbrush into acid and drawn a thin line of it down the middle of Harry's scar. When he pulled his hand back there was a thin line of blood in the shape of a lightning bolt on his palm. Instead of getting up to wash away the blood or tell Dumbledore of his dream, Harry reached over to the bedside table and picked up a thin book and quill. He then began to write down everything he could remember from his dream, making small notes under it once he had finished, before putting it back and lying down to curl under the sheets. If anyone was watching they would have believed that he wasn't disturbed by the dream at all.

* * *

A figure in the shadows scowled. How could he take it so lightly? He was acting as if nothing important had happened at all! There had to be a reason…The figure smiled and waited until it was sure Harry was asleep before creeping over to the bedside table and picking up the book and opening it to find that Harry had written down exactly what he had dreamed of. The figure smiled again and put the book back exactly where it had been, then turned to face the sleeping Harry.

"So paranoid, dear boy…one would almost believe you thought that the Dark Lord had some way of getting into Hogwarts. It's a good thing you don't know about me, then. What would you do if you knew I was watching you? Run to Dumbledore, I suppose. We can't risk that, though, can we? Not when _he_ thinks you to be important. Sleep well, Potter…dream of our Lord."

A distinctly female laugh echoed through the room as the figure turned and walked away, fading into to shadows as if it had never been there. Harry frowned and mumbled something in his sleep before rolling over, clutching the blanket tighter about him as if it could protect him from the darkness around his sleeping form.

* * *

Severus was delivering a spare vial of the potion he had been asked to make to Dumbledore when Harry came charging in, book in hand.

"Someone's been in my room," Harry explained once he had caught his breath.

"How can you be sure?" Severus snapped. He wasn't in a good mood – he had spent the night planning his next two classes only to have them canceled on him this morning. Apparently the students weren't too eager to better their potion-making abilities when there were parties to be had and food to be eaten. Harry gave Severus an irritated look. "Give me some credit, please. I wouldn't have come here if I wasn't absolutely sure."

'Especially if I knew you would be here,' he finished silently.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I will – as soon as I see reason to. As of yet I haven't, however, Mr. Potter."

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Someone's been snooping through the record of my dreams that I keep." He flourished the book. "The ink is usually black, but I've charmed it to change red when someone apart from me touches it." He opened it to a random page, and shoved it under Snape's nose.

"See? Red," He said triumphantly. "Someone was in my room."


	34. Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall...

A/N – Yes, this chapter is short. Yes, it is late. To tell the truth, I don't really care at this point. I've had a bad week, and right now getting this thing up on time is the least of my problems. Also, to the people who keep asking for longer chapters – it isn't going to happen. I get these out a lot faster than most people, so you're just going to have to put up with it. Deal, grieve, move on. The reason I couldn't get this chapter up yesterday was because I had to go out shopping to buy a present for my mother and for a friend since their birthdays are coming up, because my brother wouldn't let me on to update for five minutes, and because I had to leave for said friend's party, by the way. I did actually have the chapter done. 

To Super Saya-Jin Gotan – I really don't appreciate your comments about 'Hands Clean'. Did you even bother to read it? If you had you would know that there is no kissing, touching or making out through the entirety of the first chapter, which was the only chapter up when you commented. I would also like to know exactly why you saw fit to comment about that fic in the POW reviews. The rating is for attempted suicide, by the way. It also doesn't classify as 'yaoi' because yaoi is hard-core. 'Hands Clean' barely qualifies as shounen ai. I could make it yaoi though, if you want. Just to make you happy. Not only have you offended me, you have also offended my sister (Obake, people, check her out), and my best friend (Minna). I really don't have the time or the patience to deal with you right now. Next time just keep your homophobic opinions to yourself.

**__**

Disclaimer- Not mine. All JKR's. I'm just borrowing them to have a bit of fun. 

**__**

Chapter Thirty-Four

Severus scrunched his nose up, trying not to sneeze at the slightly musty smell of the book. He pushed it away and pinched his nose with two fingers, waiting until he had regained control of himself.

"That stinks," he proclaimed, glaring at Harry. "There wasn't any need to go waving it about under my nose like that."

Harry blinked. "Of course it stinks. It has been in my trunk with Vernon's old socks, do you really think that it would smell like a field of flowers? I really need to do something about that…"

Dumbledore coughed, trying to hide what looked to be a smile behind his hand. "I think that we should be worrying about why someone has been in Harry's room, not the odour of his book."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you'd just had it shoved under your nose," Severus snapped. "That's really vile, that is."

"All right, I get the picture! The book stinks, I need to do something about it. Can we get back to the topic, now?" Harry snapped. "This may surprise you, but I'm _tired_. I haven't been able to get any sleep for the past week, and now I have a chance to catch up. I'll miss out on that chance, however, if we don't get this over with! You see what this lack of sleep is doing to me? I'm starting to sound like _him_!" Harry growled, jabbing a finger at Snape, who blinked then frowned at Harry. Snape's frowns could usually bring a first year to tears, but apparently they didn't work as well on a person who was tired, upset and feeling slightly snarky. After a few minutes he gave up. Dumbledore shrugged helplessly.

"I'm afraid there isn't much we can do, Harry. Your room is already charmed to alert us if someone from outside of the school enters it, but if it's someone from the school…"

"Arabella Figg," Snape said.

"Pardon?"

"Arabella Figg. She has already watched the boy for the last fifteen or so years, why don't you get her to watch him? I'm sure she'll be able to do something."

Dumbledore nodded. "You're right, as usual. If Arabella is watching him she's sure to catch whoever was in his room."

"Have you decided yet? Great. Now, if you don't mind, I have some sleep to catch up on," Harry said, stalking out of the room in a decidedly cranky fashion. Dumbledore shook his head.

"He may have James' looks and Lily's eyes, but he's becoming more and more like you every day, Severus," he said, smiling. Snape shook his head.

"Please don't say that, Albus."

"All right. You could try to be a little nicer to the boy, though. You're far too hard on him because of who his father was."

Snape snorted. "Hard on him? At least I don't expect him to save the world, Albus. He's just a child, I realise that, and I make sure I don't push him further than he can handle. A lot of people don't, though, and what will happen when he fails? What will happen when he is captured, or killed, or beaten? Who will we rely on then? I'm just preparing him, Professor, and you know it." A wry smile crossed Severus' face for a moment, before fading away. "Otherwise you would have stopped me long ago."

Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again to stare at Snape, eyes bright. "Perhaps…"

Snape nodded. "Now, if you don't mind, breakfast is calling and I find my stomach rather eager to answer."

Professor Dumbledore laughed. "Such a wonderful way of phrasing the sentence, Severus. Of course you may go."

Severus nodded again and turned to leave. "Shall I tell Figg, Albus?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, I'll do it. Would you mind asking Dobby to bring some toast to my study? I have to pay him, today."

"Of course."

* * *

Harry tossed and turned in his bed, trying to fall asleep. He wasn't having much success. Eventually he sat up, running a hand through his hair.

"This is just great," He muttered. "I finally have a chance to get some undisturbed rest, and I can't fall asleep. Someone really, _really_ doesn't like me." After a few minutes he gave up altogether, and got dressed. He gave his hair a quick brush, smiling tiredly at Sebastian as the snake wound himself around Harry's arm. He walked over to the mirror and glanced at his reflection, before turning back to look at himself more fully. He hadn't realised how much he had changed over the last six months. His eyes, which once had shone with laughter, were now serious. His hair had grown to such a length that it gave him a feral look, and the way he stood gave an alert and slightly paranoid air to his reflection. As he watched the image in the mirror changed, becoming the boy from his dreams. He gazed at Harry, fear and pain in his eyes.

"Please…will you help me? Why won't someone help me? Am I that bad?" As the image's lips moved a voice echoed around the room, sounding as if it was coming from under the water and a great distance away. The mirror's reflection shifted again to become Voldemort. His cold laugh echoed throughout the room as Harry backed away in horror. 

"Our time will come, Potter…only one of us will be left in the end. It _will_ be me," he snarled. The mirror shifted again to return to what it had originally been reflecting. Echolalia had moved to hover behind Harry, and she placed a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" She asked, tugging on a strand of his hair with her other hand. Harry turned to look at her for a moment, before glancing back at the mirror once more. His reflection remained there, mimicking his every move, acting exactly as it should.

"I…I'm fine," He said, voice uncertain. "Just fine…"


	35. Presents!

This story won't be slash, so stop worrying. Enjoy.

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Disclaimer- Not mine. All JKR's.

**__**

Chapter Thirty-Five

Harry woke to the sound of a series of dull thuds coming from the other side of the door. He moaned and rolled over, pulling the sheets up over his head and yanking them out of the end to expose his feet in the process. He pulled his legs up near his chest, trying to protect his toes from the cold that was in his room.

"Harry? Harry! You have to get up! It's Christmas, and there's snow! There's snow, Harry!" Seamus' voice, slightly muffled by the thick wooden door, reached Harry's ears. Dean's quieter voice followed.

"What if he doesn't want to get up, Seamus? You know he hasn't been sleeping well," 

"But…it's snow! And Christmas! How can he sleep through snow _and_ Christmas?" Seamus protested. Harry groaned, rolled over to bring the pillow over his ears, and fell out of his bed. The cold floor beneath him shocked him into a fully-awake state, and he stumbled to his feet, pulling the blanket off his bed and wrapping it around himself. He staggered over to the door and yanked it open, blinking owlishly at Neville, Dean, Seamus and the group of fascinated first years behind them.

"Whadduyawant?" He mumbled, trying to adjust his eyes to the sudden amount of light.

"We are the three wise men of Christmas fame, and we come bearing gifts," Seamus proclaimed, grinning widely.

"Two wise men, you mean," Dean said, gesturing towards Neville and himself. Seamus mock-pouted.

"I don't know why I hang around you, Dean. You're always making fun of me," He whined.

"Well you shouldn't give me so many opportunities," Dean informed him, before turning to Harry. "Can we come in?"

Harry nodded and moved out of the doorway, closing the door behind the three as soon as they were through it.

"Harry! How can you sleep in here? It's so c-c-cold!" Seamus exclaimed, teeth chattering. Harry grunted and waved his hand at the fireplace. A cheery fire started up immediately, and Harry allowed himself a small amount of pride. Fire was one of the spells he was having the most difficulty with in his training.

"Gonna get dressed," He informed them, grabbing a set of clothes and making his way down to the bathroom. By the time he had returned Dean, Seamus and Neville had all made themselves comfortable on Harry's rather messy bed, and were looking around curiously. 

"This is really nice, Harry," Neville commented, smiling.

"Yeah, but it gets cold if you don't have a fire going," Harry said, sitting down on the bed beside them. "I'd like to give you your presents first, if you don't mind." Seamus grinned.

"Are we likely to mind when there are free gifts pending?" he asked.

"I thought all gifts were free," Dean commented lazily, still looking around the room.

"Shut up, Dean," Seamus said, giving him a gentle shove.

"We don't mind, Harry," Neville assured him. 

"Good. I didn't think you would," Harry grinned. He stood up and opened his trunk, rummaging through it until he uncovered three wrapped boxes. He handed the first one to Neville, who unwrapped it to find a dark blue piece of crystal, circular in shape with a hole through the middle of it tied onto a leather thong. When he raised the crystal to examine it he saw gold lettering flash across the surface of the stone. It looked like the writing was moving but also like it had been engraved, which was impossible. No matter how hard Neville tried he couldn't read what the words said.

"What does it do?" Seamus asked as Neville slipped the leather band over his head.

"I noticed that Neville always seems to be the unwilling guinea pig for Fred and George's pranks," Harry explained. "When he's wearing that they won't work on him. The writing also glows a silver colour when one of the unforgivable curses is used near you."

"Wow…" Neville murmured. "Where'd you get it?"

"I bought the crystal and the leather in Hogsmeade on the last trip and put the charms on myself," Harry said. "All of them are rather alike, I'm afraid."

"Doesn't bother us," Seamus and Dean said together.

Harry gave Seamus his present next. Instead of being a pendant it was a leather arm band with a green crystal set in the thick hide. It too had the strange golden lettering engraved in it. Seamus looked at Harry uncertainly.

"It's cool, Harry, but how do I get it on?" He asked, trying to fit the band over his rather large hand. He gave a yell of surprise as it suddenly grew to slide over his hand and settle on his wrist, tightening so that it would sit there without shifting, but loose enough to be comfortable.

"Cool!" Seamus said, touching the arm band gently.

"This one has different spells on it than Neville's," Harry told him. "They all do. As long as you're wearing yours Professor Snape and Filch will have a hard time catching you 'making trouble', as they call it. It'll go a purple colour when someone is lying to you, too."

Seamus let out a whoop of delight. "Wow! Thank you! Cool…I'm gonna sneak into Snape's room and dump some shampoo and conditioner on his while he's asleep. Hey! I'll be able to give Mrs. Norris a real good boot!"

Harry laughed. "Don't get too over excited, Seamus. If you're really doing something dangerous they will be able to see you."

"Now…Dean I wasn't exactly sure what to get you, so I hope this is okay," Harry said, handing the last package over to him. Dean opened it carefully and pulled out a crystal clasp for a cloak.

"It turns cloaks into invisibility cloaks when it's being used," Harry explained, "And it also helps enhance the strength of your spells."

Dean grinned and attached it to the front of his robes, broach-style. "I shall carry it with me always," He said gravely.

"Harry's turn," Seamus said, jumping up and pulling a package out of one of the many pockets in his robes.

"We all chipped in to get you this," Dean explained as Harry opened it. Inside was a wooden box, in which was set a gorgeous set of quidditch balls, including a snitch. 

"Wow…" Harry breathed. "Thanks, you guys. This is great!"

"Oh, hang on," Neville said, putting a hand into one of his pockets and pulling out another parcel. "Hermione wanted me to give you this."

Harry took the package and opened it carefully. Inside was a framed picture of Ron, Hermione and himself standing in front of the quidditch field and laughing. Tucked into the frame was a small scrap of paper. Harry pulled it out and unfolded it.

__

Harry – 

Merry Christmas. Ron wants to be friends again, you know, he's just too stubborn to admit it. I'll keep trying for you. Thank you for understanding,

Hermione.

Harry smiled and folded the paper back up, tucking it back into the frame. He sighed and stretched.

"You know, breakfast is sounding rather good right now," He said.

"Breakfast has been and gone, Harry. Lunch would be on now," Neville said. Harry shrugged.

"Breakfast, lunch…what's the difference? It's still food. Come on."

He jumped off the bed and led the way out into the corridor, not noticing Draco standing further along. Neither did he notice the look Draco gave him.


	36. Discussions

READ THIS!!! I have had a lot of stress put on me lately, and as such am pretty tired. I will try to update the fic every week like I have been, but I may miss it sometimes. Get used to it. Obake (my sister), Minna (best friend) and I have started a Yahoo Group for all of our fanfictions. It's at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/voodoodollavengers/ and my DJ is at **_www.deadjournal.com/`bentoo_** if you wish to read it. Be warned – I am insane. And psychotic. This chapter is bad but as I said I have a lot of stress on me at the moment. I'll rewrite it later. Chapter Thirty-Six 

"You know, I'm sure that Professor Trelawney has gone off the deep end," Seamus said, mumbling slightly around the roll of bread he was eating. Professor Trelawney had just swept past them, muttering about Hogwarts being attacked and taken over by Voldemort before the school year was through.

 "You mean she wasn't before?" Harry asked, arching an eyebrow at Seamus, who shrugged.

"More nutty than before, I meant. I mean, seriously. Predicting that Voldemort is going to attack Hogwarts this year? He'd have to be bloody stupid to do that. I mean, he hasn't even been back properly for a year yet. He'd have to gather forces, make a whole heap of allies with all the dark creatures again and rebuild his library of books before he could do anything," Seamus said, waving his fork around in the air to illustrate his point. "Completely nutty!"

Harry looked at him for a moment. "You do remember that Voldemort is a crazed maniac out for blood, don't you?" 

"Well…yes, of course he is. Who would try to attack a place that has you _and Dumbledore? You beat him once before and he hasn't managed to get you yet, has he? Any normal person would have given up and opened a fruit market by now."_

"Exactly. Voldemort –" Neville, Seamus and Dean all flinched, having realised that Harry was still in the habit of using the Dark Lord's name—"Is not what you'd call a normal person. And a crazed maniac who has a grudge against a few people isn't likely to wait just because other people think he doesn't have a strong enough force yet. The worst thing is that Voldemort's smart, even if he is insane. He'd probably find a way to get in here without having to apparate if he is as desperate to get rid of Hogwarts as Trelawney says he is."

Neville blinked. "You think that Trelawney is right?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Like I said, Voldemort is smart. I don't think he'll attack Hogwarts this year – not a full-out assault, anyway. He's more likely to try it in the next couple of years than now. He will try it, though. Hogwarts was probably the biggest thorn in his side last time he tried the whole dominate-the-world stunt, and he'll be wanting to get rid of it before we really have a chance to become prepared."

Dean moaned. "I really wish you wouldn't be so logical, Harry. I'm going to be so paranoid today because of this…"

Harry grinned. "Sorry Dean. I was just making a point, you know."

"Yes well you shouldn't make your points so well now, should you?" Dean shot back, grinning lopsidedly.

Harry shrugged. "I can't help the fact that you all make it so easy for me."

Dean stuck his tongue out at him. "Meanie."

"Hmmm." Harry speared a pea that had been avoiding his fork for some time and ate it. 

"Hey Harry, how about we give that set of quidditch balls a test run once you have finished eating?" Seamus asked, bouncing in his seat. Harry grinned. 

"Sounds good to me. I'll finish eating and meet you out there, okay?"

The others nodded and left the table, heading out of the Great Hall to the quidditch field. Harry finished eating his meal rather quickly and headed to his room to grab his broom and the balls. He was on his way down to the Great Hall when someone grabbed him and shoved him up against one of the walls. 

"This year Slytherin will win the Quidditch Cup," Draco hissed, eyes narrowing at Harry.

"We aren't just going to let you, Malfoy. If you want to cup you're going to have to earn it – from us. I doubt you will be able to, though. Not with the lack of skill you have on your side this year," Harry retorted, pushing Draco away and moving back down the hall.

"Not if you're gone, Potter. You're the only one who is stopping us from winning and with You-Know-Who after you I doubt you'll make it to the end of the year alive."

"You would know all about that of course, wouldn't you Malfoy? Daddy's a Death Eater, after all," Harry glared at Draco, daring him to continue.

"Don't you dare make assumptions about my father!" Draco took a step forward and raised his fist as if to punch Harry before dropping it again. 

"Who's making assumptions? I was there when Voldemort was resurrected, remember? I heard and saw everything, Draco – I know who Voldemort's supporters are."

Malfoy seemed to slump. He opened his mouth to say something, closed it again, then turned and began to walk away.

"Just watch your back, Potter," He said, glancing back once. Harry sighed and shook his head before continuing on his way out to the field.

"What took you so long, Harry?" Seamus asked, circling down to land. "Surely it didn't take you that long to finish your meal?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I just had a little run in with Malfoy, that's all."

"Malfoy? What did he do?"

"Just said that Slytherin was going to win the Quidditch Cup, don't get in our way, yadda yadda yadda…" Harry rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter. Now…let's play!" He opened up the box containing the balls and released the bludgers and snitch before throwing the quaffle up into the air. The boys spent the rest of the day out on the quidditch field.

Harry sighed and fell onto his bed, worn out from the rigorous exercise he had been participating in. He yawned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over his head.

_"Just watch your back, Potter…"_

Harry frowned. What had Malfoy meant by that? He yawned again and, as his eyes slid shut, decided to try to talk to Hermione about it tomorrow.


	37. Points of Light...

A/N: Obake, Minna and I have set up a joint yahoo group which you can find at **_http://groups.yahoo.com/group/voodoodollavengers/_** and I have also created a website for myself that you can find at **_www.angelfire.com/ego/farseeker/_**  which has a discussion board. If you happen to visit it please leave a comment in the visitor log or on the discussion board. My deadjournal is at **_www.deadjournal.com/~bentoo_** by the way. I typed the wrong address last time. *glares at her stiff keyboard and pounds on the shift key* 

**To Angel of Death:** I'm sorry if you don't have the brainpower to recognise the plot in this, dear, but that doesn't mean that you can go demanding things of me. I really couldn't give a flying cow pat if you keep reading this or not. It's really lovely to how supportive you are of me, though. Especially considering that I've just had a nervous breakdown. Thanks so much.

**Disclaimer-**  Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. Not me. I'm not making any money off this, I do it purely for the fun of it.__

Chapter Thirty-Seven 

"How did you allow this to happen?"

Voldemort stood from the chair he had been sitting in and took a step toward the Death Eater standing in front of him. 

"We were attacked, Dark Lord. There was nothing we could do…"

"Nothing you could do? _Nothing you could do_?! How many of my servants were there? How many?!"

"A…a little over two hundred, my Lord." The answer was stuttered.

"Two hundred. And one person – _one person_ – managed to infiltrate the base. Not only that, but our only captured member of the Order was successfully rescued! The Order of the Phoenix must be laughing right now! How could you allow this to happen?!" Voldemort screeched, causing the unlucky Death Eater to wince.

"My Lord…"

"_SILENCE!_" The word was roared. The sound of Voldemort drawing in a deep breath was the only one in the room, before he started speaking again.

"You will all be punished, of course. However, right now what we need to do is make sure that the damage caused by this…_blunder_…is as minimal as possible. I will need to contact my spy at Hogwarts."

"Y-Yes Sir. I will ask for the serum to be brought at once."

"Yes…you do that. Oh, and Terunth?"

"Yes Sir?"

"_Crucio_."

Terunth fell to the floor, writhing in agony as the curse shot through him. Voldemort held it for a few seconds before stopping. He stepped up to Terunth, gazing down on him as he gasped for breath. Voldemort smirked and kicked him in the guts before turning away.

"Never, _ever_ assume what my orders will be, Terunth. Ever."

* * *

"I want to see Harry."

Mundungus was sitting in Dumbledore's office. He had spent three weeks in the Hospital Wing after his rescue, and had asked to see Harry more than once during that time. 

"I know, Mundungus," the Headmaster answered, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his middle and index fingers.

"Then why haven't you let me?"

"Because I thought that seeing you as you have been would not have been good for Harry. I'm worried about him, Mundungus. He seems to be fine, but I just don't know…" Dumbledore sighed. "I suppose that he will have to see you sooner or later at the meetings, though."

"You mean you'll let me talk to him?" Mundungus asked, leaning forward slightly in anticipation of the answer.

"Yes. I will ask for him to meet me in an hour, and you can talk. Just try not to mention what they did to you in there, understood?"

Mundungus shuddered. "I wouldn't tell him, even if he asked."

* * *

"Professor Dumbledore wants you to go and see him now, Harry," Professor McGonagall told Harry as he walked into class.

"But what about class?" Harry asked, stepping out of the way of Ron as he walked in. Harry wasn't sure, but it looked like Ron was avoiding looking at him.

"I'm sure that missing one lesson will not have a hugely detrimental effect on your learning, Mr. Potter."

"Yes, Professor," Harry sighed. McGonagall frowned and, lowering her voice spoke again.

"Harry…are you all right? I know you have been under a lot of pressure…"

"I'm fine, Professor," Harry reassured her.

"Are you sure? You can always talk to me – there is a reason we have Heads of the houses, you know."

"I'm fine," Harry repeated. "Just fine."

"Alright then. Off you go, now."

Professor McGonagall watched as Harry walked away. 

"I'm not certain whether you know if you're okay yourself, Harry," She murmured, shaking her head.

* * *

"Blood pops," Harry said, waiting for the Gargoyle to move. It did so, and rather happily for a change.

"Got to see the Headmaster, do you? What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, I wonder?" It said, grinning as Harry walked past it. "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Harry called back, beginning to feel rather nervous. The gargoyle had acted as if it knew he was in trouble for some reason, but Harry couldn't think of a single thing that he had done wrong in the past week, unless you counted sneaking into the kitchens for a midnight snack. Dumbledore wouldn't have called him out of class for something so trivial, though…he hoped. He reached the door of Dumbledore's study and, realising that sometime after his last visit the Professor had fitted one of those old demon-faced knockers to the door, used it. There was silence for a moment, and then—

"Oi! Harry Potter's here to see you!" 

Harry jumped backwards, looking about wildly to see where the voice had originated from.

"Always forgetting his appointments, he is…" Harry realised that it was the doorknocker speaking when it began to mumble under its breath. The door swung open, and Professor Dumbledore poked his head out.

"Ah, Harry. I see you have met my new knocker, Clarence," He said, holding the door open for Harry. "He's a little cranky, today – he had to have his screws tightened," he added in a whisper.

"I see," Harry said, not sure that he did at all.

"I heard that, you crackpot old fool!" Clarence's voice passed through the door, slightly muffled by the thick wood. Dumbledore chuckled.

"I really must teach Clarence about manners, some time. Have a seat, Harry."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said, sitting down in one of the least over-stuffed chairs in the room.

"I'm sure that you've been wondering how Mundungus is getting along, Harry," Dumbledore began, "he's been asking to see you for quite a while now. I have arranged for you to spend some time talking to him today. He's still recovering from his ordeal, however, so I must ask you to try not to get him too excited."

"Yes, Sir," Harry said, just the slightest bit surprised.

"Now then…come this way," Dumbledore stood and walked over to one of the bookcases in the room. Harry watched him, wondering if it was one of those bookcases that had a hidden room behind it that you had to pull a book out of to open. Dumbledore ran a hand over the rows of books, looking for all the world as if he was searching for a volume. The bookcase sank into the floor, revealing a set of stairs.

"Up you go, then," Albus said, gesturing towards the flight of steps. Harry nodded and walked up them, placing a hand on one wall as it got darker so that he wouldn't fall over. The staircase finally opened out to reveal a bright room, lit by hundreds of small spots of light in the ceiling. Harry blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to the sudden light after the dark stairs. A figure stood up from where it had been seated on a chair beside a table in the middle of the room and took a step forward.

"Harry Potter?"


	38. Shine Bright

Yes, the chapter is left at an odd place. My grandparents are over, however, and I encountered writer's block at that point. Deal with it.

Chapter Thirty-Eight 

"Harry?"

The boy in question almost fell over in surprise.

"Come and sit down, Harry."

Harry stood still for another moment and then, when his eyes had adjusted, made his way over to the table and chairs, sitting down on one of the seats opposite Fletcher. Mundungus was sitting there with a cup of tea in front of him, looking rather nervous. 

"Um. Hi," Harry said, not knowing what else to say.

"Hi."

"Dumbledore said that you wanted to see me."

"Yes."

"May I ask why?"

Mundungus shifted. "Mainly to thank you, I think."

"Oh."

"Yes. Um. Thank you."  
"For what?" 

"You were the one who told them were I was," Mundungus said. "If it weren't for you I would still be there." He shuddered, face turning pale.

"Well, if Sirius hadn't gone to rescue you I'm pretty sure that you'd be there still," Harry pointed out, uncomfortable with the idea that Mundungus thought he was solely responsible for his rescue.

Mundungus laughed. "Sirius said the exact same thing when I tried to thank him."

Harry blinked. "You've talked to Sirius?"

Mundungus nodded. "Just before he left for America and Oceania. I think that he's requesting assistance from them. There are a few there who never believed that he killed Pettigrew, so he's going to contact them first and then, if all goes well, they will begin gathering forces."

Harry nodded. "I see."

There was silence for a moment.

"So, have you figured out what the lights are in this room yet?" Fletcher was grinning.

"No, actually. What are they?" Harry looked back up at the ceiling, searching for anything that could be causing the lights to glow. There was nothing there, however. It looked almost like they were running off of nothing at all.

"They represent all of the witches and wizards in this world," Mundungus said, tilting his head back to gaze at the roof of the room. "The smaller ones are the less powerful people, and the brightest are the most powerful."

Harry continued to look at it. "I'd hate to be one of the brightest," He said eventually. Mundungus looked surprised.

"Why?"

Harry pointed at one of the brightest. "Look at that one. Sure it's bright, but it's light forces all the others away. That person is all alone – I don't think I'd be able to stand it."

Mundungus nodded. "You're right. That's one of the prices people pay to be great."

Harry, however wasn't paying attention. A frown had formed on his face.

"What's wrong?" Mundungus asked, worry evident in his voice despite the fact that he knew that they were safe in the room.

"Look at those two points," Harry murmured, pointing to a couple of stars that were on opposite sides of the room. "They're the brightest, and they face each other over a great distance; behind them are all those smaller lights. What do they look like to you?"

Mundungus shrugged. "They just look like random points to me. Why, can you see something in them?"

"They look like two armies ready to go off to war. The two larger ones are the leaders, and behind them are the soldiers." Harry paused for a moment. "One group is the Order of the Phoenix, and the others are the Death Eaters," He added softly. "One of the bright points is Voldemort, and the other is Dumbledore." As Mundungus and Harry watched, one point of light moved from one side to the other, and then back again. Harry frowned.

"Snape was our only spy, wasn't he?" 

Mundungus nodded. "Yes, and Voldemort found out about him a long time ago."  
"That's what I thought." Harry turned to look at Fletcher.

"There's a spy in the Order of the Phoenix. That light that crossed couldn't have been going from the Order of the Phoenix to the Death Eaters and back unless it was a spy, and if it was coming from Voldemort's side to ours it's still a spy because it returned to Voldemort after a moment."

"What do we do?" Mundungus asked. He was shaking.

'It's got to be worse for him,' Harry thought. 'It might be him they're after.'

"I suppose that we tell Dumbledore what we saw and leave the rest to him," Harry said. 


	39. Notice

This fic won't be updated for a month from today. I need some time to get ahead and work on the chapters until I am satisfied with them and right now I can't, mainly because of the stress of having assignments and problems at school. I hope that you understand, and I would also like to say this before any of you start panicking – This fic _will_ be finished.

~Farseeker.


	40. Marked

Woohar! I be back, and am bearing the next chapter for you all! Sorry about the extended wait, but exams, changed internet times at home, writer's block, ff.net's downage and a trip down to Brisbane for a writing course all delayed it. Thanks for waiting so patiently!

_____________________________________________________

Harry was flying, cutting through the clouds and scaring the birds he whizzed passed. He reached out a hand, scooping up a handful of cloud. He looked at it and it became a snowball, which he threw at Ron, who had appeared on a cloud and was beckoning to him. The ball hit Ron in the chest, and where it melted darkness spread and grew, changing Ron into Voldemort. The Dark Lord sneered and sent a curse flying through the air towards Harry, who had nothing to defend himself with but snowballs and a melting shield of ice…

"Mr Potter!"

 Harry woke up, eyes opening to see Professor McGonagall looking down on him, face stern. He squawked and sat up, chair rocking backwards. The chair teetered for a moment before falling backwards with Harry still on it. There were a few titters of laughter that McGonagall soon silenced.

"Will you be making it a habit to sleep in my class, Mr Potter?" She asked, voice more than a little bit annoyed. Harry, still on the floor, shook his head.

"No, Professor," he mumbled.

"Good. Honestly Harry, I don't know what's gotten into you. You seem to drop off without warning these days, and…"

"I don't think he's listening, Professor," one of the Ravenclaw students piped up. A snore confirmed it. Harry had fallen asleep again. Professor McGonagall sighed and shook her head. 

"Ron and Hermione, would you please take Harry up to the Infirmary? There's obviously something wrong with him and I simply cannot leave the class." Hermione nodded and flicked her wand at Harry, levitating him to about waist-height. Ron sat still for a moment before standing and moving to help Hermione move Harry through the castle without hitting him on doors and walls.

"I…don't think that was a good idea, Professor," Seamus ventured once they had left.

"They're best friends, Seamus. I don't think anything will happen to them between here and the…oh. Oh dear…"

____________________________________________________

"Stupid git," Ron muttered, barely stopping Harry from crashing into a wall. Hermione winced, and for a moment looked like she was going to say something before shaking her head and continuing onwards. 

"I mean, why does he get treated like something is wrong when he falls asleep in class? If one of the rest of us were to do that we'd have detention with Filch for hours, but he gets taken up to the Hospital Wing! Stupid git…"

Harry moaned then, almost as if he were protesting against Ron's statement. He rolled over quickly, looking for all the world as if he were struggling against something, and a drop of liquid fell from his forehead and hit the floor. He shot up into a sitting position, gasping as if he had been drenched with icy water. The levitation spell Hermione had been using snapped as he moved, and he fell. Just before he hit the ground a light blue cloud appeared underneath him and moved up, catching on the corners of his robes and lowering him gently to the ground. Harry scooted back to the wall, a hand pressed against his forehead. He sat there for a few moments, gasping, then reached behind with his other hand and used the wall to help him stand. 

"You two…should go back to class," He murmured, voice devoid of any emotion. "I can get to the Hospital Wing on my own."

"Bull," Ron said, reaching out a hand to catch Harry as he swayed. "You can't even stand, let alone—"

Harry jerked away before Ron could touch him. "Save it," He said, voice now cold. "I don't want your help and you aren't really willing to give it, so just go." With that he turned and staggered off down the hall, hand still pressed against the wall to support him. Hermione and Ron glanced at each other helplessly.

"Follow?" Hermione asked.

Ron stared after Harry. "Follow."

____________________________________________________

"Harry! What happened?" Madam Pomfrey had been tidying up the cupboards of the Hospital Wing when Harry staggered in. Most of the contents of the cupboard she had been working on were now scattered on the floor. Ron and Hermione peered around the door, listening closely to what was being said.

"Just another dream," Harry muttered, plonking himself down in one of the waiting chairs. "Do you have any really, really strong painkillers by any chance?"

"Of course I do, this is a Hospital Wing, you know," she said. "Let me have a look at your scar, Harry." She moved his hand away from his forehead, and gasped at the red, throbbing line of red that was the scar. The skin around it looked burnt, and some of it was peeling away.

"Oh, Harry…" she murmured, voice dismayed. "I don't know why you put up with this, you know…"

"Now that Snape can't attend Death Eater meetings I'm the only person in the Order who has any chance of knowing what Voldemort is up to. You know that."

"I know, but you're still just a child…" Madam Pomfrey had grabbed some ointment and was smearing it liberally over the scar.

"I stopped being a child long ago," Harry said quietly as she wound a bandage around his head. He stared at the hand that had been pressed against his scar, sighed and held it out. Burnt into his hand was a picture of his animagus, with a phoenix perched on the dragon's head.

"I've been marked."


	41. Ghostly Stalkers?

Chapter Forty-One 

At first Madam Pomfrey didn't say anything, she just stared at the mark. After a moment she sighed and wrapped another piece of bandage around his hand.

"I'll go and get Dumbledore," she said, voice strangely quiet. Harry nodded and stared at the floor, trying to look at anything other than the expression of apprehension and pity on her face. There was a moment of awkward silence, and then she moved aside one of the curtains hanging in the room, opened the picture behind it and stepped into the tunnel it revealed. 

"I'll be back soon, don't move," she called back as she closed the painting behind her. Harry snorted. 

"Figured she'd have some way to get to Dumbledore's office without having to go wandering through the halls," he muttered. He stood then and wandered over to the pile of bottles and bandages lying on the floor and began to pack them neatly back into the cupboard. As his hand closed around the last bottle he stiffened, then stood from his kneeling position. 

"I know you're there," he whispered. "Please, just go."

Hermione and Ron started at the whisper that was so clearly directed at them. Hermione bit her lip and glanced at Ron. He was gritting his teeth, and before she could stop him he had burst through the door and shoved Harry up against the cupboard, holding him there by his collar.

"You _prick_," he hissed. "Do you really think we're so far behind you that we can't even take care of ourselves? You're so full of arrogance that –"

"Let go." Harry's voice was calm, but his eyes were angry and Ron found his hands being loosened and forced away from Harry's collar against his will. Harry dropped to the ground, and caught something that had come flying in through the door to the Hospital Wing. He raised it and dropped back into a defensive stance. There was a tense moment where it wasn't obvious whether he would attack or not, and then he blinked and looked down at what was in his hand.

A gleaming silver sword, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs… 

_'Dear me, impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!'_

_'Sword? Haven't got a sword. That boy has, though…'_

_'Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry…'_

The sword that was in Harry's hand clattered to the ground and he kicked it away, a savage snarl twisting across his face.

"I don't _want_ this!" he screamed, hitting the cupboard door with his fist. Ron and Hermione stared at him, shocked, then turned as they heard a creaking noise. The picture Madam Pomfrey had disappeared through opened to reveal Dumbledore and the matron.

"It doesn't matter if you want it or not anymore, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly, his eyes shining with sympathy. "You have it now."

Harry shook his head, shoulders shaking with sudden sobs. "But I can't," he whispered. "I can't be what they want me to be. I can't…I'm just me. Just Harry…"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I think perhaps we should find out a little bit more about this…phenomenon, Harry, before coming to any real decision."

_'But you've already made a decision,'_ Harry thought. _'You've already decided for me.'_

"The Book of Founders?" He asked, voice resigned. Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes. I think it would be best to start there."

Hermione raised her hand cautiously, reminding the group that she and Ron were still in the room. 

"Excuse me Sir, but I think you owe us an explanation."

* * * 

"So the dreams Harry had been having, they were to do with Voldemort then?" Hermione asked, trying to make sure that she had understood correctly. Dumbledore had decided to tell them what had happened on the basis that they would almost certainly find out on their own if he didn't. Hermione had been asking plenty of questions, eager to know more about what was happening, but Ron had simply sat and listened. Dumbledore nodded.

"That would be why he's been falling asleep in class so often and why the teachers don't get upset," She murmured, satisfied with the Headmaster's answer. 

"I've made a complete idiot of myself, haven't I?" Ron said suddenly, startling the others. "I've been a complete ponce."

Hermione hesitated, then answered him. "Don't take this the wrong way, Ron, but...yes. You have."

"Harry…I'm really sorry, Harry. I didn't realise how serious the situation was…" Ron started, his voice fading off as he looked at Harry, who was sitting with The Book of Founders on his lap, hands clenched so tightly on the cover that his knuckles were white. 

"It doesn't matter," Harry answered, voice low. "It would have happened anyway. They were pushing for it, you see, to see what my reaction would be. There's no way it could have been avoided."

"Who, Harry?" Hermione asked, a look of confusion and worry on her face.

"My four ghostly stalkers," Harry answered with a small laugh, looking up at her. His face was pale and the dark circles under his eyes were highlighted through the contrast, making it almost look as if his face was a skull.

"Are you certain of who they are, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, face and voice serious. Harry nodded.

"I've already talked to one, remember? Now that I've made it clear that I'm aware the others are around they'll show themselves soon enough." Harry looked past Dumbledore to the bed behind him, and sighed. "Isn't that right, hmm?"

One by one, looking just the tiniest bit sheepish and very amused, four ghosts materialised in the area where he was looking.


	42. Stalkers Revealed

Chapter Forty-Two 

"It's nice to see you again, Harry," Salazar said, holding out his hand. Harry stared at it for a moment, and then looked up.

"It's a pity I can't say the same," Harry answered coolly, his face carefully blank. Salazar sighed and dropped his hand.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but we really cannot prevent this," he said. The three other ghosts behind him nodded in agreement.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but to me it seems as if you haven't even tried," Harry replied, and this time there was a dangerous edge to his tone. His hands tightened on the book again, and then slowly relaxed. 

"Of course, there's nothing that can be done about it now, even if you didn't try. The past can't be changed without consequences that aren't usually worth it, isn't that right? So perhaps you'd like to explain to me why you've decided to take up stalking me as a hobby?"

"We were…testing you, I suppose you could say," Salazar said, apparently having taken up the role of spokesperson for the ghostly group. "We needed to make sure that you wouldn't break under great pressure, and that you could look after yourself without having to rely on the people around you. To that end we planted ideas and thoughts in the heads of people who weren't exactly sure how they should act around you, and encouraged them to find fault with you."

"So you were controlling Ron."

"To a certain extent. Your cousin we also utilised, although I must admit that he put up far less of a fight against our suggestions."

"What about the mark on his hand?" Hermione asked. "Did you put that there?"

"No, that was beyond our control. We were expecting it to happen, but we thought it would occur much later," One of the female ghosts spoke up. She was a sturdy woman, not thin but certainly not fat, and gave the impression of great strength tempered by a good nature. 

"Excuse me for asking this, but who are you?" Hermione was watching her curiously. "I think I've seen your picture somewhere before…"

"I think I would have to be offended if you didn't recognise me," The ghost smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "After all, I did help to build this school. Helga Hufflepuff, at your service. These are my co-founders, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor." The other lady ghost waved and gave a faint smile, and Godric sketched a small bow out, clearly annoyed at Helga's theatrics. Salazar simply smiled.

"Why were you testing Harry?"

"Because he is needed to defend our school and our beliefs, and to fight for both wizards and muggles. That is why we were testing him," Rowena said, reaching out a hand and attempting to tuck a strand of hair behind Hermione's hair. She sighed when her fingers passed through it.

"I keep forgetting that we can't touch things anymore," She murmured.

"Harry." Godric was staring at the boy as he stared at Ron, who was staring at the floor.

Harry looked up at Godric, eyes questioning. 

"You have the mark now Harry, and no matter how hard you try you can't avoid what must be done. Blood will always be thicker than water, and blood demands that you complete what is asked of you. The Book of Founders was written to guide you in this. It holds the answers to most of your questions. There is only one thing left for us to do, and then we will go until you on call us."

"And that one thing is?"  
"Your gifts. You already have Slytherin's, and mine is lying on the floor over there." Godric pointed to the sword that lay where Harry had kicked it. Helga stepped forward and cupped her hands. A glow formed in the air above them, and a set of cards appeared. She laid them down on the bed beside Harry.

"They're my old tarot deck," She said. "They're special, Harry. They don't just feed off your magic; they have some of their own. The book will tell you what they're capable of."

"My gift," Rowena said, bringing her hand together and forming the glow about them just as Helga had, "Is my Necromancy Bells. They'll be very useful later on, Harry, but they're very dangerous. Please, if there is anyway you can avoid it, never use the largest bell. It's just too dangerous to even think about unless the circumstances are extreme." She laid the leather belt and bells on the bed carefully, then stepped back. "The book will explain why I ask this of you. Please take care, Harry." As she said this she and the other four founders began to fade away.

"Remember that you cannot avoid this, Harry, no matter how hard you try." Godric's voice echoed around the room as they disappeared. 

"What did he mean about blood being thicker than water?" Hermione asked, her expression saying that she suspected what he had meant but that she didn't believe it.

"He means that I have to do what they want because I'm related to them," Harry said. He sighed and raised his hand to touch his scar gently, as if it were hurting him. "My father was a direct descendant of Slytherin and Hufflepuff, and my mother was related to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. That's why Voldemort wanted me dead when I was a baby, and part of the reason why he wants me dead now."


	43. Relations

**READ!**

Before I start this chapter I'd like to explain something to you all. I decided to have James descended from Slytherin and Hufflepuff because in most fics he's descended from Gryffindor and while I wished to give him the typical Gryffindor personality (because we all know our dear James is what Godric was thinking of when he made the requirements for Gryffindor ^^) I didn't want Harry's ancestry to be as predictable as that. To that end, Slytherin and Hufflepuff were combined, giving James the determination to succeed and ambition of Slytherin, and the good nature of Hufflepuff, which was the closest I could get to the Gryffindor qualities. As we don't know much about Lily it wasn't as important to make the right choices with her houses, and so she got Ravenclaw because I imagine her as being smarter than James (sorry, all you fans of James), and Gryffindor for the obvious reasons. Also, while Lily comes from a muggle family, I think it's possible that her Grandmother or Grandfather was a squib, because of how Petunia described her family's reaction to finding out that Lily was a witch. If the squib in Lily's family was related to both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Lily would still have their blood, and pass it on to Harry. For now I won't say much more about Harry's heritage, but you'll find out more later and when you do I'll draw up a rough family tree, scan it in and post it on my Yahoo! Group.

I was surprised to see how many of you figured out that the idea for the bells came from 'Sabriel'. I haven't read it in ages so I can't remember what the bells do or their names, so if I do end up having them do the same thing I don't mean to. ;; This chapter is quite short, but I wanted to get it up now since I'm not sure if I'll be on when I was planning to update, which was Tuesday. 

Also, I have a couple of links for you guys. 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/innlefarseeker

That's my group, which I'm currently working on getting up and running again. I need a few more moderators so that if I do disappear for an extended period again it'll be able to keep running without me.

http://www.network54.com/Chat/89957

That's the temporary chatroom for my group, I'll be in there for about an hour and forty minutes from the time this chapter goes up.

Lastly, I'm in urgent need of a beta reader. Anyone who can help, please email me.

Chapter Forty-Three 

 "What did you mean, part of the reason?" Hermione asked Harry as they hurried down the hall after him. After the four ghosts had left Dumbledore had decided that he would call an Order of the Phoenix meeting for the next day and hold onto the gifts Harry had received until then. Everything would be explained properly to Hermione and Ron then, if their parents gave their permission for the two to be included into the group. When asked what would happen if their parents didn't let them join Dumbledore had simply replied that it was up to Harry to tell them, as it was really his business.

"It's simple, really. I'm a threat to him because I'm related to all four of the Founders, and he also wants me dead because of what I did to him when I was a baby, and also for getting away alive each time he's tried to kill me over the past five years. There's also the fact that Slytherin has now recognised me as his heir, and not Voldemort. That he was descended from Salazar was a point of pride for him, and now that Slytherin has decided to support me he wants me dead for that too."

"What exactly is the Order of the Phoenix?" Ron asked. 

"The Order of the Phoenix was one of the main defences against He Who Must Not Be Named during the war against him," Hermione said. "There were Aurors, Unmentionables and civilians in it – there wasn't really any need for qualifications because anyone who was brave enough to want to join the Order of the Phoenix during that time obviously had some kind of talent to offer, otherwise they wouldn't have taken the risk. It was disbanded after You-Know-Who disappeared, though. I guess Dumbledore has started it up again, now that Voldemort's back. Is that right, Harry?"

"Yeah, that's about it. It's still rather a small group because Dumbledore hasn't been able to locate all the past members yet, and some of the ones that he has want to wait and see what happens before they get involved. It makes sense, I suppose. A lot of the old members were young, and didn't really have any links to family. A lot of time has passed since then though, and I suppose the majority of them have people in their lives that they have to worry about now. Your father is a part of it though, Ron. So is Sirius, and most of the Professors." 

"There can't be much use for it right now though, not with the Ministry not recognising that Voldemort is back and with him not attacking openly…"

"You'd think that, but we've actually got a lot more information than people would think. Professor Snape was spying for a while, until Voldemort figured out what he was doing, and with my dreams and the information Mundungus gathered while he was being held by the Deatheaters."

"Wait a minute…you mean the Deatheaters actually _captured_ one of the Order's members?"

"Yeah, I don't know how long he was there but he was pretty messed up by the time Sirius got him out. I don't know if he'll be at the meeting tomorrow." Harry stopped. "Here's my room. If your parents give permission for you to be at the meeting I'll come and get you when it's time. Goodnight."

"Wait, Harry…" Ron took a step forward just as Harry's door closed. Ron sighed and turned to head to the Gryffindor Common Room when Harry's door opened again.

"What is it?"

"I just…I really am sorry, Harry. I didn't think, and…"

"I know, I know. You can't expect us to just become friends again just because you apologised, Ron. It'll take time for things to get back to normal between us, and even then it's unlikely that things will be the same."

"Yeah, I know. I just…I said some really awful things, and I didn't really mean any of them. Then I was too stubborn to apologise, and now…"

"A lot of the stuff you said was awful, yes, but some of it was true. I should have trusted the two of you more. What you said about Snape…that's also true. There's a reason for that though."

"Reason? What do you mean?" Hermione had stayed quiet until now to let the two boys have a chance to say their apologies.

"I started looking up my family history soon after our fight. Professor Snape is my half-uncle."


	44. Huh?

Chapter Forty-Four 

"I started looking up my family history soon after our fight. Professor Snape is my half-uncle."

Harry watched the reactions of Ron and Hermione, a tiny part of him finding some amusement in it. Ron's mouth was opening and closing like he was a Grindylow that had come out of the water, and Hermione was staring at Harry like he had suddenly grown an extra set of arms.

"But…_how_?" Ron asked, beating Hermione to it by a few seconds.

Harry shrugged. "My Grandfather wasn't very moral, and had several affairs before and after he married my Grandmother. Snape was the result of one of them, and when my Grandfather found out he refused to give any support to the woman or Severus– in fact he threatened to kill them both if she told anyone. He probably wouldn't have, of course, but it was enough to frighten her into silence…her family found out eventually though, and tossed her out onto the streets for disgracing her family. They were purebloods, you see, and that one of their own would get with child and not be married would have been seen as a slur on their name in that time. It also explains why Snape hated my father so much."

"How awful…" Hermione murmured. 

"It doesn't give him any reason to hate you or your father though, Harry," Ron said. "Does it?"

"It does. Imagine coming to a school having grown up in the way that he would have, and to have to face the son of the man who had caused all your problems. It would have been worse than that though, because he would have seen in James everything that he could have had, if things had happened just a little differently. Snape doesn't hate me though, I'm fairly sure of that."

"What do you mean? Sure, he's been helping you, but if he didn't Dumbledore would come down on him like a tonne of bricks."

Harry smiled. "Maybe, but there have been plenty of times when he could have done something and passed it off as bad judgment or a mistake, and he hasn't. He might not like me, but he doesn't hate me either. We can talk about this later, though. Right now I'm tired, and my bed is calling. Goodnight."

Harry closed the door quietly behind him, and changed into his pyjamas. Before hopping into bed, he opened his trunk, and pulled out two parcels that had been hidden in a corner. He smiled. Maybe he would have a reason to give the gifts he held after all…

The next morning at breakfast the Gryffindors were surprised to see that Hermione, Harry and Ron had appeared to have made up, although it was obvious that Harry wasn't about to abandon his new set of friends. He was seated near the end of the table, and to his right sat Ron and Hermione. To his left sat Neville, Seamus, and Dean. The group were talking animatedly about Quidditch, and discussing the upcoming game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

"We're going to cream them!" Neville said, taking a bite of his toast. "I can't wait to see their faces when they realise that clumsy Neville isn't quite so clumsy anymore!"

"Not on a broomstick, anyway," Dean said.

"I'm getting better in potions, too!" Neville protested, and Seamus patted his arm comfortingly.

"Yes, yes…you keep telling yourself that. Ignorance is bliss, as they say, and who knows? By the time you're eighty maybe you'll be a competent potion maker."

Neville swatted his hand away. "Stop patronising me, you big…patronise-y…thing."

Hermione laughed. "You _are_ getting better at potions, Neville, ignore those two." 

Neville grinned. "Thanks, Hermione. It's nice to know that _some _people actually support their friends, instead of making fun of them."

"Shouldn't make it so easy for us to make fun of you, then," Dean said, deadpan, and ducked as Neville flicked a bit of egg at his nose. 

"Perhaps we should eat the food, instead of throwing it around," Harry suggested, grinning, although his eyes showed how tired he was.

"Hey, you don't look too good, Harry," Seamus said, frowning and peering into Harry's face. Harry shook his head and laughed. 

"I'm okay, just a bit tired. I slept better last night than I usually do, though." He poked at his bacon, then cut a small piece off and stuck it in his mouth.

"Hey, does anyone else's bacon taste a little strange?" He asked, poking at it again.

"No, mine tastes fine," Ron said, and the rest agreed. Harry shrugged.

"Must just be me, then." Before he could take another piece, Hermione leaned across and snagged a piece on her fork.

"Hey!"

Hermione ignored Harry and stuck it into her mouth. "You're right. It does taste a little strange. Not off, exactly, just…strange. Perhaps you shouldn't eat it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe Winky prepared it…you know how she is with the butterbeer." 

"That must be it," Seamus said. "It's not like anyone could have poisoned it or anything; none of the students are allowed near the food before breakfast."

Harry shrugged. "It doesn't matter, I'm full anyway." He yawned. "I think I might go and practice for the Quidditch match for a while, see if that wakes me up a bit. I'll meet you at Transfiguration, okay?"

With that he stood and left the Great Hall


	45. Old Friends

Sorry for the wait between the last chapter and this one, there are some things happening in my life that I'm not entirely happy with, right now. One of our dogs will probably be put to sleep at the end of this month. We've had him since before I was born and I'm very attached to him so it's very upsetting to know that he won't be around much longer. I must also admit that for Christmas I got an absolutely amazing present and so most of the time between the last update and this one I've been playing Kingdom Hearts (an absolutely brilliant, gorgeous, amazing game – have any of you played it?) and spending time with Bazz (our dog), completely neglecting my writing in the process. ;; I'm bad. This is only the first part of this chapter, by the way, I need to tease the last half out since it's being a little unco-operative. 

I'd also like to explain something to a few of you. A lot of the reviews lately have been complaining about the way the story is going – that it's too dark, too light-hearted, that Ron shouldn't be in it and that Hermione should die, that Neville is annoying and so on. Part of the reason that I stopped writing this fic for such a long period was because I got so stressed out trying to cater for everyone reviewing the story _and_ keeping the original plot at the same time that I started to _hate_ the fic. I dreaded working on it, because inevitably it just led to more and more frustration. I'm sorry if you don't like the way that this fic is going, but from now on I won't be doing anything that is asked of me unless it was already planned or for very, _very_ good reasons, which I can't really see happening. I realise that you want to see this fic go a certain way, but if it isn't heading in the direction that you'd like there is something you can do that will save you, myself and all the other readers a lot of frustration – _just stop reading_. It isn't that hard, really, and if you aren't interested enough in the fic to stick it out and be patient then there isn't any real use in you reading it anyway.

Having said that, for those of you who do plan to continue reading, I would like you to welcome my new beta-reader, Laura. She did a brilliant job on the last chapter, and to tell the truth I'm amazed that she'd even consider spending time beta-ing this fic. Lucky me, eh? ^^ This chapter is **unedited** however. I would have sent it to Laura first for editing but I think you've all waited long enough so when I get the beta-d part of this chapter I'll upload it. The beta-d version of the last chapter will be uploaded today too, so if you want see if you can find the corrections. ^^

Chapter Forty-Five 

Before heading out onto the Quidditch field Harry went to his room to collect his broom and Quidditch balls. It had been a while since he had been able to practice by himself without any interruptions, and he was looking forward to it. As he was heading through the courtyard to the field he bumped into a man he hadn't seen before. Muttering an apology, Harry continued on his way until a voice from behind him spoke up.

"In a bit of a hurry to practice aren't we, Harry?"

Harry stopped and turned, disbelief making him blink once or twice to make sure that the person standing just in front of the man he had bumped into was actually there.

"Wood?"

Oliver grinned. "In the flesh."

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. Oliver had introduced Harry to the man he had bumped into, saying that he was a 'business colleague', and refused to explain further until all three of them were seated on the benches around the Quidditch field.

"Came to see you actually, Harry," Wood said, grinning from ear to ear. Harry blinked.

"Why?"

"I think perhaps Mr Flydehawk should explain that, since it was his idea."

Wood's colleague nodded, and then began to talk at a very, very fast rate.

"I'm a talent scout of sorts you could say, Mr Potter, and I must say that I am absolutely delighted to meet you by the way, Oliver has told me all sorts of things – but that's beside the point. I usually keep a watch around Diagon Alley for up-and-coming Quidditch talent, seemed to have hit a dry spot a few months ago, was almost ready to give up and resign in fact. Then who should come along but my old friend Judge Mantros with a group of people from court? They put this kid on a broom and sent out a snitch and, well, I've never seen anything like it, simply amazing I must say. Had no idea who the kid was, of course, and Mantros wouldn't say a word – privacy laws and all that, you know. Seemed I'd hit a dead end, and then I went to match Oliver was playing in with the Surrey Scythes, and we got to talking afterwards. He started telling me all about this absolutely brilliant seeker that had been on his team at Hogwarts, and by that time I was desperate enough to have a look and so he showed me a memory of one of the matches he had played  -- very much obliged, by the way, Wood – and _it was the same kid_! Made him tell me who he was, of course, and talked to Dumbledore, pulled a few strings – and here we are!' He gave a huge smile as he finished, bouncing around on the seat like a child. 

"Er…did you get any of that, Harry? He talks fast when he's excited," Wood said, apparently not having understood half of it himself.

"Most of it, I think," Harry said. "I still don't understand why you're here, though – I mean, what's the point? I'm still in school."

"Victor Krum was still in school when he joined the Bulgarian Quidditch team, Harry," Oliver reminded him. "Professor Dumbledore and the other teachers wouldn't even consider letting you play on a team until you've finished school anyway. That's not why we're here, though."

"Why are you here, then, and why didn't someone tell me that you'd be coming?" Harry asked, getting a little frustrated.

"No-one told you they were coming because they weren't supposed to until next week," Professor Snape said. He had come up behind the three and they had been so involved in their discussion that they hadn't even noticed his presence. All three jumped, and Oliver's expression rapidly changed to one of horror. No doubt he hadn't expected ever to have to face Professor Snape's patented 'You've-Done-Something-I-Consider-Unforgivable' glare, and Flydehawk was doing a very good impression of an ice cube under the heat of Severus' glare.

"Er…yes, well…can't blame a guy for getting a little impatient and turning up early, can you?" Flydehawk said, struggling not to be affected by the on-going glare. It wasn't working.

"I believe the appointment was in five days after the Quidditch match when you'd had time to watch Mr Potter on a broom. An hour, perhaps two hours before the specified time _might_ have been acceptable as 'turning up early', Mr Flydehawk. Five days before the appointed time would perhaps be more appropriately referred to as 'rescheduling the meeting altogether'," Professor Snape snarled, clearly not found of the exuberant man before him. "Since you are here, perhaps an audience with Headmaster Dumbledore might be in order." With that Severus turned and stalked away, completely certain that the group would follow. They did.


	46. INFO and CHAPTER

ARGH! Okay, so you know how I mentioned that ff.net had screwed up the upload in the A/N on the last chapter? It didn't re-upload the previous one. I am so sick of this bloody site, honestly. At any rate, sorry for the misunderstanding. You wouldn't believe how pissed off I am right now. ;;

**__**

**__**

**_Chapter Forty-Six, Part B_**

"We had arranged a time for the meeting, Mr Flydehawk," Dumbledore said, fixing the man with a look that would have made even the most prestigious of people squirm like a child. Flydehawk sighed. 

"I know, I know…I've already been told off by Mr…er…Whatsizname, the cranky dude. I'm here though, now, so you may as well hear me out. Mr Potter has –"

"Mr Potter currently has no idea of what is going on, despite the fact that it appears to involve him in some way. Perhaps someone would like to explain to Mr Potter why they are talking _about_ him instead of _to_ him," Harry interrupted. He had been studying one of the portraits of an old Headmaster, but now turned to face the three men. 

"Well?" He lifted an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, Harry. We were planning to tell you a little later, when all the details had been finalised. Mr Flydehawk has asked us if you would like to attend a training camp for promising Quidditch players. We've decided to allow you to, although the decision is really up to you," Dumbledore explained. "What would you like to do, Harry?"

Harry looked down at the ground for a moment, clearly thinking. When he looked up his face was like a grime-covered mirror, reflecting nothing of what was going on inside of him.

"You know I can't, Sir. Not with the situation the way it is. It's far too dangerous…"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. What do you mean, the situation?" Flydehawk started, before comprehension dawned. "Hold on, you don't mean that thing with You-Know-Who, do you? I mean, I read in the _Daily Prophet_ that you were delusional, and believed he had risen again, but considering the sort of thing they usually publish I didn't actually believe that you had lost your grip on sanity…"

"I don't appreciate being told that I'm delusional, Mr Flydehawk," Harry murmured. His eyes had lightened to a chilly green, like the sea on a cold and stormy day.

"Come now, boy, this is insane…"

"Mr Flydehawk, last year I saw a boy die. I didn't really know him other than as a rival on the Quidditch field, but _he was a good person_. One minute he was there, and the next minute he was gone. I then had to return to a home where no one cared for me, and where being a wizard was an excuse for them to abuse me. Each night I get barely any sleep for the nightmares I get because of this _bloody_ scar, because each night someone else is killed by Voldemort." Harry began to walk forward slowly. There was a _zwing_ noise, and the sword Godric Gryffindor had given him was in his hand. "Every day I have to keep pretending that everything is fine, that I'm okay, so that everyone around me doesn't panic, and they have a reason to panic, Mr Flydehawk, because they know me. They know me, and because of that they are a target for Voldemort." Harry raised the sword and pointed it at Flydehawk. "I would like to see how well you would handle it, Mr Flydehawk. How well would you be able to handle it if your entire world came crashing down around your feet and you had nowhere to run?"

There was a moment of shocked silence, then Harry slumped and lowered the hand holding the sword. As it fell the sword disappeared, as if it had never been there to begin with. Harry laughed, and tilted his head back to look at the roof.

"You know, this morning…I was feeling good. I'd made up with Ron and Hermione – I mean, things still aren't like they were, but that's to be expected – and I'd slept well. I just wanted to be able to go out and fly before lessons. I haven't practiced for so long, you know, and we have a game in two weeks. And now…" He turned his head to the side and stared at Dumbledore, who was watching him carefully. "I'm sorry, Sir. I need some sleep. I'm just so tired…I'll get today's work from my teachers later." He shook his head and stumbled out of the room, raising a hand and pressing it against his forehead as he did so. Dumbledore watched him go, and then turned to regard Flydehawk, a grave look in his eyes.

"There is a lot of pressure on Mr Potter right now, Mr Flydehawk, and it is taking its toll. Are you still certain that you wish him to attend the training camp?"

There was a moment of hesitation, and then Flydehawk nodded. "Quidditch teams aren't known for having the sanest of players, Headmaster. As long as he isn't dangerous to others…unless he is? That sword…He's a brilliant Seeker, though, it would be such a pity…"

"I do not think that he is dangerous," Dumbledore stated slowly. "The sword is something that I don't believe he has learnt to control. I believe that it appears when he is angry, or in a position that he perceives as dangerous."

"Well then, we'll just have to make sure he feels safe, won't we?" Flydehawk smiled. "Are you sure about holding the camp at Hogwarts, though? I'm sure there are other places…"

Dumbledore shook his head firmly. "Harry can only attend if it is held at Hogwarts, so that the staff can keep an eye on him." He sighed, and turned to face Professor Snape. "What are we going to do with him, Severus? It's so hard on him."

The Potions Master had been leaning up against the wall of the room near Dumbledore's desk, watching the events with an eagle eye. He shrugged. "I don't believe there is anything we can do until he is willing to ask for it. Otherwise I don't believe that he will accept it."


	47. Chapter FortySix, Part C

Argh, shit. Sorry about that, I don't know what went wrong. Bloody fanfiction.net has been screwing me around lately, and I was too tired to stay up to check the chapter was up. ;; Guess I should have, huh?

**Erebus:** No, someone is _not_ having writers' block, for once. ;; I do realise that ff.net can remove the last chapter, although that was actually the site's fault so maybe they should consider looking into it, but the one before that wasn't wasting space at all – it had some very important information (the update) in it, and if it hadn't been there a lot of people would have gone on to next one and ended up not understanding anything at all. I'm not planning to taunt at all, at any rate – quite the opposite, in fact.

**Eva Phoenix Potter:** Thanks for the hug. ^^ I need it right now, since I'm at home alone with my brother. I'm sure you can imagine the frustration and pain that entails…

**Firefox:** I think I'd have to agree with you on it not being the best of chapters. ^^

**_ _**

**_Chapter Forty-Six, Part C_**

Harry fell onto his bed and stared at the ceiling, wishing he could keep his emotions as cold as the stone that was above him. He twisted and rolled onto his side, curling up into a ball as he did so. 

_"Do you know what these are?"_

"Shut up," Harry murmured, raising his hands to block his ears.

_"These are the thumbs of your daughter."_

"Shut up."

_"We killed her, you know. It was your fault."_

"Please…"

_"We can kill more, if you want. Kill everyone that was in your life and before they die we'll tell them _why _they had to die. Because of you. Because you wouldn't tell us what we wanted to know."_

"Oh God."

_"You don't want to see him, mother. He's like a skeleton that's had skin stretched over it so tight it's almost not there, and he screams. Screams and cries and curses everyone he sees, and when he's not doing that he's singing. The doctors think he's remembering what he heard while it was being done. Over and over again, just the same line."_

"I can't stand it anymore."

# "Oranges and lemons, oranges and lemons…No! I don't want to see, don't want to hear! Stop it, stop it, leave the poor thing alone. All alone, no one to save me, such is life. Ha ha ha, I laugh, but no one laughs with me. Why is that? Ha, ha…Oranges and lemons, oranges and lemons…"

"I don't want to see, don't want to hear…"

_"He's disgusting, and Father loves him. You can see it in his eyes, the adoration. I can't stand it. Can't stand to be near such a thing, to have it put its hand on my head and _smile _at me, like I've done something good. Like I'm a puppy that's just learnt a new trick."_

"Who are you? Can you help me – help us?"

"But I can't escape. There's no way. I'm trapped, caught in the web and there's no way out but death. There never was."

"Caught…"

Harry shut his eyes, keeping them tightly closed in an effort to ward off the images that were beginning to play through his head. He screamed, but it didn't shut out the voices. By the time he felt something tug at his hair and wrap around his arm, he thought it was just another dream. Later, when he was lifted and carried from the room, he wasn't aware of anything at all. 

* * *

Echolalia found herself waking from her hibernation, disturbed by a noise. She had found a little hidey-hole in the wall and had filled it with tissue paper before crawling in, and it had kept her just warm enough to enable her to fall asleep, although the cold had still bothered her. Later on, when the cold of winter had gotten to be too much for him, Sebastian had joined her and solved the problem. She felt him move beside her, and guessed that he had also been awakened by the noise.   
She heard it again; a sound so soft that she was surprised it had disturbed her at all. It was followed by a wretched scream that grew higher and then cut out suddenly. Echolalia rocketed out of her nestand turned to face the source of the noise. Harry was curled up on his bed, whimpering softly. He was clutching one hand to his face, and the other was clawing at his arm. As she watched**,** he screamed again and his hands clenched violently, small puddles of red pooling under and around his fingernails as they cut into his skin. She flew over and tugged desperately at his hair, but he didn't seem to notice it. Sebastian had slid over and wrapped his body around Harry's arm, but that didn't have any effect either. She moved to the door, but it was locked**,** and the handle would have been too heavy for her to shift even if it had beenunlocked. Frustration grew inside of her. Harry was her friend, and she couldn't help him because of a stupid door! Something inside of her shifted and changed as her frustration peaked. She had heard of it of course – it was a moment that came about sooner or later in every faerie's life, when someone they cared for was in such danger that they would do anything to be able to help them – but she hadn't expected to experience it for quite a while. Everything seemed to change, and it took her a while to realise that there was a silver-grey glow around every object in the room. She moved towards the door again and pressed a tiny hand against it. When she applied a bit of force her hand moved _into the door. She pushed forward again, and moved on through it. It was a little like walking through thick sap, and while she didn't feel any kind of pain**,** it did make her uncomfortable. After a moment**,** she emerged on the other side and, ignoring the startled looks on the students' faces, flew off in search of help._


	48. Chapter FortySeven

Okay, this is a short chapter. Sorry for the delay, but the first week of grade eleven was a little busy, so I haven't had the time to work on this until tonight. Also, I have tutoring for Maths B on Thursdays, so from now on I'll be on the net on Tuesdays and Saturdays, so look for updates then. Chapter Forty-Seven 

A cool hand pressed against Harry's forehead, and he moaned, opening his eyes and blinking to clear the blurriness. When it didn't fade he reached to the side for his glasses.

"Ah, good, you're awake," Madam Pomfrey's voice was strangely comforting, and she placed Harry's glasses in his hand. He slipped them on, and blinked.

"Wha— Ow!" Harry grabbed at his scar and hunched over, overcome by the sudden jolt of pain.

"You'll have to expect that for a couple of days, I'm afraid," She murmured.

"Hurts…" Harry mumbled. He wasn't referring to the pain in his head, but the pain caused by the memories of what had happened. Madam Pomfrey laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I know. I've already talked to Professor Dumbledore about that." Her voice hardened a fraction. "From now on you will be taking a potion to stop the dreams. I expect the Professors will want to have a word with you, now. I'll be back in just a moment." She patted his shoulder once, then left the room. Harry drew in a breath, and forced the memories to the back of his mind, laying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling in an attempt to empty his mind of all thought.

"It's good to see you awake, Harry," Dumbledore said. Despite his words he sounded troubled. Professor Snape was standing behind him, frowning in a distracted way. Both looked tired, and Harry realised for the first time that candles lit the room instead of daylight. 

"What time is it? Weren't you two still with Mr Flydehawk," He asked, not bothering to sit up. He mind felt like it was full of cotton wool, and he wondered if he had been given some sort of calming potion.

"Two thirty seven in the morning at last check, and Mr Flydehawk left hours ago," Snape answered sourly, then yawned.

"What happened, Harry? It was Voldemort, I presume…" Dumbledore asked gently. Harry nodded, then paused and shook his head.

"No, not Voldemort. Just some of his followers and victims," He answered, resisting the urge to throw up as the memories surged to the surface of his mind. He pushed them back again and shook his head before raising a hand to his scar and grimacing.

"I see. Madam Pomfrey has insisted that you be given a potion to guard against dreams, so you shouldn't have to worry about this sort of thing happening again."

"That's not true, Sir," Harry corrected him. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow quizzically. 

"How so?"

"This one didn't happen while I was asleep. It just…took over. I couldn't stop myself from feeling what the people in it were feeling…" He fell silent.

"I see. That will present more of a problem."

"Not really," Snape disagreed. "All he needs to do is learn a spell that will distance him emotionally from the visions. I am presuming that you have some kind of warning before succumbing to them completely, of course."

Harry nodded. "I do, but it doesn't take long for them to overcome me, so it'd have to be a very quick spell to perform."

Dumbledore frowned. "I'm sure we'll be able to find something to that effect. I will inform the other teachers before breakfast, and see if any of them are familiar with a spell that would be able to do that without any side effects. Until then I suggest that you get some sleep if you are able. Madam Pomfrey will be keeping you here for observation tomorrow, so don't worry about classes." With that he left the infirmary. 

Harry watched with concern as the Headmaster lifted a hand to massage his temples as he passed through the door. With all that had been happening to him lately Harry had almost forgotten that the situation wasn't just affecting him, and it made him wonder what else he wasn't picking up on. He realised that Snape was watching him and turned to face him.

"You should take the Headmaster's advice and get some sleep. You look awful," Snape told him, his voice carrying a tone of indifference. He turned to follow Dumbledore out of the Hospital Wing, but Harry's voice stopped him.

"Lovely to know that you're so worried about your half-nephew. I suppose that's what family is all about though, correct?" Harry's voice was angry, and carried a sarcastic edge. Severus stopped and then turned slowly.

"What did you say?" He asked, voice strangely hushed.

Harry didn't know why he had said that. Snape's indifference had annoyed him, and for a moment he had wanted to do something, _anything_ to get rid of it. He had just blurted out what had been on his mind without thinking. For a moment he panicked and wished he could just take back what he had said, but then he hardened. What had been said couldn't just be erased, and it was time that it was dealt with. 

"You heard what I said." Harry raised an eyebrow at Severus, and smirked, challenging him to say something. "So, what are you going to do about it…Uncle?"


	49. Short Part of 49

Okay, so this is just the first part. Sorry it's so short, but Harry and Snape just won't co-operate at the moment. *glares at them* I decided to add a soundtrack for this chapter, since if I hadn't been listening to these songs there would be a lot less of it done. ;;

Soundtrack for chapter: 'Komme Susser Todd' From Evangelion, Gackt's 'Story', 'Rhythm Emotion (Remix)' from Gundam Wing, Mr Big's 'Shine', Megumi Hayashibara's 'I and Myself', Malice Mizer's 'Colour Me Blood Red', Malice Mizer's 'Au Revior', 'Ordinary Girl (In a Magical World) from Card Captor Sakura, Hamasaki Ayumi's 'Evolution'.

"You heard what I said." Harry raised an eyebrow at Severus, and smirked, challenging him to say something. "So, what are you going to do about it…Uncle?"

* * *

Severus made his way over to Harry and sat down in the chair next to his bed. He looked strangely calm, Harry thought, as if he had been expecting something like this to happen for an age.

"Did Dumbledore tell you?" Severus asked quietly. Harry shook his head.

"No. After I found out about my being related to the Founders…it made me wonder what else I didn't know. So, I decided to do a little research."

"Research?" For a moment the Professor looked surprised. "We really did underestimate you, didn't we?"  Harry shrugged, unsure of how to answer the question. To his surprise Severus let out an explosive sigh and tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling. It surprised Harry to see a trait of his own being used by the Professor, for even though he knew that they were related he still struggled to see the similarities.

"You know, I've been expecting something like this for years, and I've always dreaded it. Now that it has happened, though, it doesn't seem so bad," Severus said. He looked back at Harry, and cocked an eyebrow. "Do you know the entire story, or just that I'm related to you?"

"I know pretty much everything, I think." Harry looked down into his lap. "It explains a lot of things, anyway."

"Really. Like what?"

Harry looked up and stared straight at Snape. "Like why you hated me."

The expressions that crossed Severus' face were interesting, to say the least. Surprise, denial, acceptance and then an emotion that looked suspiciously like regret.

"I truly didn't set out to hate you, you know. You acted so much like your father, though, and I knew that you had the brains to do better at school but you just didn't seem to want to." He shrugged. "And then there were the friends you chose."

"Ron and Hermione?" For a moment Harry couldn't see how that would make Snape hate him, then he understood. "Sirius and Remus."

"Exactly. The 'Dream Team' revived." Severus gave a bitter laugh. "You have no idea how much I hated them."

"Well, there was the whole thing with the Potter family and then there was the thing with Remus…"

Severus laughed. "There's more to it than that, Mr Potter, and before you ask, no I'm not going to tell you."

"Why not? I'll just find out anyway."

"No, you won't." Severus' face was serious. "The reason being that only Remus, Sirius and I know about it, and I doubt either of them would tell you to protect themselves. So, you see, there isn't any way you can find out. At any rate, you won't be able to go searching for information until you're out of the Hospital Wing, and that means you'll need your rest. Go to sleep." With that Snape stood and moved once again towards the door.

"Wait! I mean…um…" Harry bit his lip. "How…are things going to be now? I don't…I can't…Oh, shit." Harry's hands were shaking, and he felt something cool slide down his face. He raised his hand to his cheek, and when he looked at it there was a droplet of liquid on it.

"Tears…but why? I don't understand…"


	50. Rest of Chapter 49

Hmm. Got the rest of the chapter, and all. It's not much, but grade 11 has been demanding quite a lot of my time recently. I'll delete the previous chapter when the next one is updated.

**I've started creating a discussion board and website for people to post writing and art on. It's open to all, but if not many people are interested in it I'll close it. The address is **

**Click on the picture, then select the Discussion Board link.**

"You heard what I said." Harry raised an eyebrow at Severus, and smirked, challenging him to say something. "So, what are you going to do about it…Uncle?"

* * *

Severus made his way over to Harry and sat down in the chair next to his bed. He looked strangely calm, Harry thought, as if he had been expecting something like this to happen for an age.

"Did Dumbledore tell you?" Severus asked quietly. Harry shook his head.

"No. After I found out about my being related to the Founders…it made me wonder what else I didn't know. So, I decided to do a little research."

"Research?" For a moment the Professor looked surprised. "We really did underestimate you, didn't we?"  Harry shrugged, unsure of how to answer the question. To his surprise Severus let out an explosive sigh and tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling. It surprised Harry to see a trait of his own being used by the Professor, for even though he knew that they were related he still struggled to see the similarities.

"You know, I've been expecting something like this for years, and I've always dreaded it. Now that it has happened, though, it doesn't seem so bad," Severus said. He looked back at Harry, and cocked an eyebrow. "Do you know the entire story, or just that I'm related to you?"

"I know pretty much everything, I think." Harry looked down into his lap. "It explains a lot of things, anyway."

"Really. Like what?"

Harry looked up and stared straight at Snape. "Like why you hated me."

The expressions that crossed Severus' face were interesting, to say the least. Surprise, denial, acceptance and then an emotion that looked suspiciously like regret.

"I truly didn't set out to hate you, you know. You acted so much like your father, though, and I knew that you had the brains to do better at school but you just didn't seem to want to." He shrugged. "And then there were the friends you chose."

"Ron and Hermione?" For a moment Harry couldn't see how that would make Snape hate him, then he understood. "Sirius and Remus."

"Exactly. The 'Dream Team' revived." Severus gave a bitter laugh. "You have no idea how much I hated them."

"Well, there was the whole thing with the Potter family and then there was the thing with Remus…"

Severus laughed. "There's more to it than that, Mr Potter, and before you ask, no I'm not going to tell you."

"Why not? I'll just find out anyway."

"No, you won't." Severus' face was serious. "The reason being that only Remus, Sirius and I know about it, and I doubt either of them would tell you to protect themselves. So, you see, there isn't any way you can find out. At any rate, you won't be able to go searching for information until you're out of the Hospital Wing, and that means you'll need your rest. Go to sleep." With that Snape stood and moved once again towards the door.

"Wait! I mean…um…" Harry bit his lip. "How…are things going to be now? I don't…I can't…Oh, shit." Harry's hands were shaking, and he felt something cool slide down his face. He raised his hand to his cheek, and when he looked at it there was a droplet of liquid on it.

"Tears…but why? I don't understand…"

Severus turned back to face Harry in time to hear him mumble something under his breath. He was staring at his hand, his face white as a sheet and his eyes wide. 

"Harry?" Snape asked, stepping towards him. Harry looked up.

"Yes?" He looked confused, but suddenly his eyes narrowed and a clarity came to them as he reached out sharply for something Severus couldn't see. "No!"

There was a ripping noise, and a portion of the air in front of Harry shimmered. It parted, spun for a moment and then a young boy shot through into Harry's arms. It shrieked and tried to jump back through the hole, but Harry held on tight.

"Let me go! Let me go! Mummy!"

"You can't!" Harry screamed at it, his eyes clenched shut. "If you do, he'll get you too and I won't let that happen!"

The hole hung there for a moment, swirling uncertainly, before closing with another ripping noise. The child slumped in Harry's arms, whimpering softly. Harry's arms loosened and he placed the toddler on the side of the bed before falling back, his eyes dull and breathing shallow. He turned his head to the side and stared at Severus.

"Voldemort was going to kill him. I couldn't let that happen…"


End file.
